
Microsoft dethrones Apple as the most valuable US company - kanishkdudeja
https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/microsoft-dethrones-apple-as-the-most-valuable-us-company-2018-11-1027756092
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nopriorarrests
dupe:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18535073](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18535073)

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beefman
That is a paywalled article.

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nopriorarrests
Everything you need to know is in subject anyway, and 35 comments beat 4

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rb808
I've always used a lot of MS products, but really thought they'd be close to
dying by now. Maybe they can make some money renting Azure Linux boxes, but
doesn't seem like a strategic advantage any more like Windows is.

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jodrellblank
_really thought they 'd be close to dying by now._

[https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/26/17286900/microsoft-q3-201...](https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/26/17286900/microsoft-q3-2018-earnings-
cloud-surface-linkedin-revenue)

> 135 million active Office 365 business users, alongside 30.6 million Office
> 365 consumer subscriptions.

> a 93 percent jump in Azure revenue.

> Microsoft has once again returned Surface to the important billion dollar
> business target.

> Xbox software and services revenue has grown 24 percent,

> LinkedIn has now been included in Microsoft’s earnings reports for a full
> year now, and the social network was responsible for $1.3 billion of revenue
> this quarter.

> Pro licenses of Windows grew 11 percent this quarter

Like, which bit of this sounds like a company "close to dying"?

"Nobody uses Windows anymore, it's too common".

In a few moments googling I haven't been able to find if SQL Server is still a
billion dollar business, or the other ten billion-dollar things they used to
have still hold up today (Windows, Windows Server, Office, XBox, SQL, System
Center, Exchange, SharePoint, Visual Studio, Dynamics, Advertising). Off the
top of my head I'd guess Exchange and SharePoint income moves to Office 365
and System Center moves to inTune Cloud, but even if the rest have declined
seriously, it doesn't seem likely that corporate use of Visual Studio and SQL
Server and Bing Advertising would all have fallen by >75% in 8 years, does it?

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sailfast
I know folks are obsessed with market cap for some reason, but I'm curious
here: what portions of either company are public vs. privately held? Is there
a material difference we should be considering here as a multiple instead of
basic "outstanding shares * share value" to make this apples to apples? For
example, if outstanding shares are 95% of MS, but only 92% of Apple's equity,
etc.

I couldn't find this information myself in a cursory search, but I'd gather
it's easy enough to find out if you know where to look. Thanks for the help.

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a13n
Most valuable US company, or worldwide?

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sushid
Both titles state "US company" so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

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a13n
I'm pretty sure they should say worldwide. Can't find a company more valuable
than MSFT, so I'm not sure why the title says "US Company" when it could say
"worldwide".

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zeusk
Publicly traded, perhaps. I'm pretty sure PetroChina and Aramco are "valued"
at more than Microsoft is, by the public.

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rjakobsson
Clearly, Apple is undervalued.

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mpweiher
Yes:

Apple P/E: 14,57 MS P/E: 43.82

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NicoJuicy
No, Azure is growing ( money maker) at >90% yoy.

Apple's money maker is dropping and no alternative.

