Alphabet Surpasses Apple with $4 Trillion Market Cap, Claiming Second Spot Globally
Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, achieved a historic milestone this week. The tech giant reached a market capitalization of approximately $4 trillion, overtaking Apple to become the world’s second-most valuable company, with only Nvidia ahead. This achievement marks the first time since 2019 that Alphabet has surpassed Apple in terms of market value.
On Wednesday, January 8, 2026, Alphabet’s shares rose by 2.4%, closing with a valuation of $3.89 trillion. In contrast, Apple’s market cap closed at $3.85 trillion following a six-day slump that wiped nearly 5% off its value. The divergence continued into Thursday, with Alphabet gaining an additional 1.1% while Apple opened 1.2% lower. This shift in fortunes makes Alphabet only the fourth company in stock market history to hit the $4 trillion milestone, following Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.
The surge in Alphabet’s value reflects its emergence as a major player in the artificial intelligence revolution. The company’s stock jumped by 65% in 2025, its steepest rally since 2009. This was driven by a strong performance in its advertising business and cloud services. In the third quarter, Alphabet reported its first quarter with over $100 billion in revenue, a 16% increase year-over-year.
Meanwhile, Apple’s absence from the tech industry’s AI race has been noticeable. Delays in launching its next-generation Siri assistant have raised investor concerns about its competitive position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Source: Bloomberg