The image of the evolution of the largest market capitalizations in the US shows how the most valuable businesses evolve from old-fashioned resource intensive businesses to new technology.
This transformation of the business world is of course facilitated by the current primary resource downward cycle, and of course this mainly reflects people expectations of future gains, which can be somewhat of an illusion. However the shift is so massive that it is worth noting. Even large manufacturing companies like GE have disappeared. Institutions are weakened by the shift they were not able to tackle early enough.
The investment power represented by the massive cash reserves and the leverage that can be raised on their valuation makes these companies potent transformers of the world. Yet at the same time by making digital ubiquitous and almost free, they facilitate the emergence of the next disrupters that might shake their very foundations.
The list may change, but the most valuable companies will certainly remain in the technology space for years to come, far into the Collaborative Age.
