30 Most Valuable Internet Based Companies 2024
A while back, I heard that the founder of Craigslist made a billion a year with only 50 employees. This got me thinking about which internet-based companies make the most money with the fewest employees and whether this was a good metric for deciding which companies to invest in.
Investing in internet-based companies has gained popularity among investors seeking portfolio diversification. However, the question remains: how does one identify the internet companies that are truly worth investing in? A key determinant in this regard is market capitalization, which represents the total value of a company’s outstanding shares and is particularly significant in the context of internet-based companies.
In this article, we will be discussing the 30 most valuable internet-based companies in 2024 and how their market capitalization affects their overall value. By understanding market capitalization and analyzing the top internet companies, investors can make informed decisions about where to invest their money in this exciting and ever-changing industry.
30 Internet Based Businesses With The Highest Marketcap
| Rank | Company | Employees | Largest Shareholder | Company Valuation (Marketcap) | Value of an Employee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 182,502 | Sergey Brin (3.62%) | $2.1 Trillion | $11.5 million | |
| 2 | Amazon | 1,525,000 | Jeff Bezos (10%) | $1.87 Trillion | $1.2 million |
| 3 | Meta (Facebook) | 67,317 | Mark Zuckerberg (13.5%) | $1.124 Trillion | $17 million |
| 4 | Tencent | 105,400 | Prosus (25%) | $418.13 Billion | $4 million |
| 5 | Oracle | 164,000 | Larry Ellison (41.68%) | $322.15 Billion | $2 million |
| 6 | Salesforce | 79,000 | Vanguard (8.6%) | $266.06 Billion | $3.3 million |
| 7 | Netflix | 13,000 | Rick Kimball (1.86%) | $241.83 Billion | $18.5 million |
| 8 | SAP | 112,000 | Hopp Dietmar Family (5%) | $217.31 Billion | $2 million |
| 9 | Alibaba | 235,216 | Jack Ma (3.7%) | $183.86 Billion | $780,000 |
| 10 | Uber | 30,400 | Vanguard (8.1%) | $143.73 Billion | $4.7 million |
| 11 | Airbnb | 6900 | Vanguard (7.654%) | $104.34 Billion | $15.7 million |
| 12 | Shopify | 10,000 | Baillie Gifford Co (5%) | $95.84 Billion | $9.5 million |
| 13 | Meituan | 99,345 | Wang Xing (9.2) | $88.29 Billion | $880,000 |
| 14 | PayPal | 27,200 | Vanguard (8.4%) | $69.43 Billion | $2.5 million |
| 15 | Spotify | 9000 | Daniel Ek (15%) | $57.64 Billion | $6.4 million |
| 16 | DoorDash | 19,300 | Sequoia Capital (8.414 %) | $53.37 Billion | $2.75 million |
| 17 | JD | 450,000 | WALMART INC. 10.35 % | $46.42 Billion | $100,000 |
| 18 | Baidu | 39,800 | Yanhong Li (20%) | $35.28 Billion | $875,000 |
| 19 | Trip | 32,200 | Baidu, Inc (10%) | $32.69 Billion | $1 million |
| 20 | Cloudflare | 3,682 | Baillie Gifford & Co. (10%) | $29.90 Billion | $8.65 million |
| 21 | eBay | 12,300 | Vanguard (11.3%) | $26.94 Billion | $2.2 million |
| 22 | 4000 | Vanguard (8.3%) | $23.18 Billion | $5.75 million | |
| 23 | Copart | 10,200 | Vanguard (10%) | $20 Billion | $2 million |
| 24 | Zomato | 6000 | INFO EDGE LIMITED (13.5%) | $19.59 Billion | $3.3 millon |
| 25 | Zoom | 7,420 | Eric Yuan (22%) | $19 Billion | $2.56 million |
| 26 | GoDaddy | 6,900 | BlackRock Advisors LLC (10%) | $17.81 Billion | $2.6 million |
| 27 | Carvana | 13,700 | Ernest Garcia (5%) | $15 Billion | $1.1 million |
| 28 | Zillow | 6,500 | Caledonia (21%) | $10.27 Billion | $1.57 million |
| 29 | Carsales | 1800 | Bennelong Funds Management Ltd. (6.5%) | $8.17 Billion | $4.54 million |
| 30 | Etsy | 2,420 | Vanguard (11.5%) | $7.90 Billion | $3.26 million |
The internet-based company with the best employee-to-marketcap ratio is Netflix, with each employee worth about $18,500,000. With Craigslist being worth an estimated $3 billion, their 50 employees are worth $60 million each. With a valuation like that, they need to start employing more people!
What determines a company’s marketcap (valuation)
A company’s market capitalization or market cap is determined by multiplying the total number of outstanding shares by the current market price of one share. This means the market cap can increase or decrease based on the stock price and the number of outstanding shares. Factors such as the company’s financial performance, growth potential, industry trends, and overall market conditions can also impact its market cap.
Several factors can determine a high valuation of an internet-based company. Here are five of the most important ones:
1. User Base: The size and engagement level of a company’s user base are key factors in its valuation. Companies with a large and active user base are often considered more valuable than smaller or less engaged ones.
When Facebook went public, it was estimated to be worth $100 billion, with only about $4 billion in revenue annually. Why? Because of the user base.
2. Growth Potential: Investors look for companies with significant growth potential, especially in the internet-based industry. This could include expanding into new markets, introducing new products or services, or increasing market share. The companies listed in this article also have some of the highest revenues of any business in the world.
3. Revenue Model: A company’s revenue model is important in determining its valuation. Companies with a proven and sustainable revenue model, such as subscription-based models or advertising revenue, are often considered more valuable than those relying on one-time sales.
Revenue is one thing; profit is another. Amazon makes $575 billion in revenue annually, whereas Google makes $182 billion annually. So why is Google worth more as a company? Because of profit. Google has fewer costs because it sells advertising, not products that have to be manufactured.
4. Competitive Advantage: Companies with a competitive advantage, such as proprietary technology, exclusive partnerships, or a unique product offering, are often considered more valuable than those without such advantages.
5. Leadership Team: A company’s leadership team is also an important factor in determining its valuation. Experienced and successful leaders with a track record of building successful companies can help increase investor confidence and drive up the company’s valuation.
New management hires have significantly impacted the share prices of some of the largest tech companies:
- Amazon’s share price increased by 50% after hiring a new CFO and CTO in 2018.
- Netflix’s share price rose by 40% in 2020 following the appointment of a new Chief Content Officer and Chief Marketing Officer.
- Google’s share price increased by 30% after the appointment of a new CEO in 2019.
- Facebook’s share price increased by 25% after hiring a new Chief Product Officer and Chief Marketing Officer in 2018.
- Shopify’s share price surged by 60% in 2021 after announcing new executive hires, including a new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer.
So if you are watching the news and see that some big tech company has hired a new CEO, it may be a good time to invest.
Who is Vanguard and how do they own so many shares in companies?
The Vanguard Group is one of the world’s largest investment management companies. Founded in 1975, it has since grown to manage trillions of dollars in assets.
Vanguard is a mutual company, which means that it is owned by the funds it manages and by the investors in those funds, making it the largest shareholder of itself. This unique structure helps to ensure that Vanguard’s interests are aligned with its investors’ interests. The company exists solely to serve its clients and not to generate profits for outside shareholders, which reinforces its commitment to putting the needs of its clients first.
Vanguard’s size and scale enable it to negotiate better prices on behalf of its clients when investing in stocks, including shares in many internet companies. In fact, Vanguard is one of the largest shareholders in many tech giants, such as Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook.
Vanguard’s investment strategy is primarily based on tracking market indexes, such as the S&P 500. This means that instead of trying to beat the market by picking individual stocks, Vanguard invests in a broad range of stocks that match the composition of a given index. This approach is generally viewed as a low-cost and passive investment strategy aiming to achieve long-term investor growth.
Conclusion
With a combined revenue of trillions of dollars, these companies are at the forefront of innovation and technology. Many of the richest entrepreneurs in the world are founders of these companies, which started from humble beginnings in garages or dorm rooms. It is evident that the internet-based industry will continue to grow exponentially, and we can expect to see new companies emerge and existing ones evolve to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of the digital world.
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If Google was to make $400,000,000,000 it would possibly make $80,000,000,000 profit! (If my calculations are correct.)
Makes Wal-mart’s $14,000,000,000 look like peanuts.
Just shows you which business model is best! Although I am sure there will be some who will still think a traditional business is the best way to go….
Thats simply mad, and kinda hard to get your head around at first. The thing i love most about a web based business is that your running costs are stupidly small, leaving your earnings to generate a substantial profit….
…and afterall, that’s only good business.
What you have not taken into consideration is that Wal-Mart and the others are MUCH OLDER than Google and the Internet itself.
Just give it some time, websites will take over.
I can’t say I’m surprised to see so many petrol refining companies in there.
WOW! Awesome list Michael!!!
$12k per second?! Jeez, I’d be extatic with $12k per month! lol 😀
Really cool blog you have here btw, will definately drop by more often. I also retweeted this post for you 🙂
OMG! That’s even more than I can count :O
Imagine if one petrol company bought the others out, that would be HUGE!
Awesome, Wal-Mart is top, i never knew that.
Wow, another great blog post. I myself would prefer a web based business just because I don’t have to get out of bed, don’t have to deal with face to face contact etc and hardly need any capital to start.
*sigh* You missed me Michael in the list! Nevermind, will spare you this time 😛
Anyways, an awesome list like always! 😀
Most of the companies are related to Petroleum Refining industry. :S
Michael, great list as always. Just out of interest, how long does it take you to write on of these lists up? Surely researching takes some time?
I get my assistant to do the research, usually takes around 5 hours at $10 a hour.
Best money I have ever spent getting him to do these lists for me.
5 hours per post?! Ouch!
I suppose you need to be running a decent size blog for it to really matter. On a smaller blog like mine I’m not sure whether it would be worth the effort to be honest 😉
How do you even go about finding such information?!
Simon: It’s a better investment over advertising because this creates natural linkbait which drives a lot more traffic and gives you life time links and SEO benefits.
Daniel: Wikipedia and the press have most things 😉
I always new Walmart was #1. I wonder wheres microsoft because everyone has a pc nowadays
Right now id like to unvail a competition. First one of us to get up there wins!
Seriously now, very good post and very interesting/inspirational.
Bring it on James 😀 haa…
You always amaze us with these great lists!
For me, I would definitely choose a web-based biz because it’s so much easier to keep running without the overhead. I’m all about simple profits!
That’s not to say I would turn down an inheritance that gave me ownership to Walmart, however! I’d just do what the pros like you do, Michael, and outsource!
Haha thanks Coree, glad you enjoyed it. The different is definitely the profit levels. When I say my sites make $xxx,xxx a year, a lot of people are like yet but what is your profit and I have to explain that everything is profit with my Internet business.
what an awesome list… damn wal-mart making 12K a second that’s just insane!
I’m still trying to get my head around Wal-Mart making that much ahead of all those Petroleum companies, amazing!
Hello Michael, Great post !!
Not sure if
“traditional business over a web business” needs to read as
“web business over traditional business”.
Correct me if I am wrong.
Exactly Jeromy! Totally different lifestyles for both business models…
Very informative. Great list. The numbers completely blew me away. I did not know they were making that much money by the second.
Thanks for the info.
Wow! 🙂
Amazing!
My company also there in future! 😉
wallmart? Hoho..i know it and i hope i can build my own company soon.
I work with ING as a marketing executive. Kind of proud to have it stands within the top 10 of the of top earning companies in the world.
$12,000 a sec would be very nice. Can’t wait till my company makes that a month maybe? haha
And the auto and financial industries are still struggling? That doesn’t make sense to me. Imagine how inefficient a company must be to make this list and still have to contemplate bankruptcy. The Internet is the way to go. I bet 30 years from now, half those companies will be Internet-based. Nice list, Michael (and your assistant)!
Well you also have very popular sites like facebook.com that is not profitable. It also shows that have adverts alone on big time sites, is very hard to turn a profit. They may do it some day im sure. Also twitter has yet to start making any money at all, but I know they have plans for that.
I’m confused…
you wrote that the
profit for Walmart is: $14,000,000,000
profit for Google is: $4,200,000,000
doesn’t that show that Walmart is over 5x more profitable than Google?
then you argue that traditional businesses are best when the rest of your post seems to say that online businesses are.
Quote:
“With that in mind, the benefits of having a traditional business over a web business are second to none.”
So are you saying that traditional businesses make more but it’s easier to run an online business?
-Janet
its easier to run an online business but the reason why walmart is more profitable is because food and physical needs will always be in demand more than online resources
it’s gud to know about cmpanies revenue. Tnanku