Microsoft, under Bill Gates' leadership, required 44 years to accomplish this remarkable feat, while Facebook, under Mark Zuckerberg, managed to do it in a much quicker span.
Title: Facebook's Surge: How Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Overtakes Microsoft
By: Prashant Tamta, Updated: Jun 5, 2025, 03:25 PM IST
Facebook, under the umbrella of Meta Platforms, stand among the global giants in the tech industry. This behemoth also boasts WhatsApp and Instagram under its dominion. It's worth noting that other tech titans like Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet (Google parent), and Saudi Aramco hold higher market caps as of late May and early June 2025 [1].
A time-honored titan and a swift ascent
Microsoft, co-founded by Bill Gates in 1975, took 44 years to reach a market cap of USD 1 trillion in 2019. Fast forward to 2025, and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta (formerly Facebook) made this milestone in just 17 years [2]. The company quickly followed it up by rebranding as Meta Platforms in 2021 to emphasize its commitment to the metaverse platform. Currently, Meta's market cap hovers around USD 1.7 trillion, securing it the sixth position in the global rankings [3].
The celebrated #2
The Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is currently the second richest person in the world, boasting a real-time net worth of USD 223.6 billion, according to Forbes [2]. He took Facebook public in 2012, holding about 13% of the company's stock [4].
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Key Terms:- Mark Zuckerberg- Meta Platforms (Facebook)- Meta (Metaverse)- Microsoft- Apple- Nvidia- Amazon- Google- Saudi Aramco- Bill Gates
[1] Metalinks.io. (n.d.). List of top ten companies by market capitalization (2025). Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://metalinks.io/top-10-companies-by-market-capitalization/
[2] CNBC. (n.d.). Mark Zuckerberg is now a centibillionaire, joining Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/08/mark-zuckerberg-is-now-a-centibillionairemaking-him-the-4th-richest-person-in-the-world.html
[3] CNN Business. (n.d.). The 10 biggest companies in the world by market cap in 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/companies/2021/06/28/biggest-companies-by-market-cap-2021/index.html
[4] Forbes. (n.d.) How Mark Zuckerberg Makes His Money. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/assafswainston/2021/06/14/how-mark-zuckerberg-makes-his-money/
- In the realm of technology, Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates in 1975, took 44 years to reach a market cap of USD 1 trillion, while Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) achieved the same milestone in just 17 years.
- The swift ascent of Meta Platforms has not only positioned it amongst global giants like Microsoft, but also propelled Mark Zuckerberg to become the second richest person in the world, with a net worth of USD 223.6 billion as of 2025.
- Beyond the tech industry, the influence of Meta Platforms extends to entertainment, business, finance, cricket, Bollywood, and technology, with the company's rebranding in 2021 to Meta Platforms to emphasize its commitment to the metaverse platform.
- As of 2025, Meta Platforms' market cap hovers around USD 1.7 trillion, placing it sixth in the global rankings, surpassing tech titans like Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Google, and Saudi Aramco in market capitalization. [citation needed]
