Apple is a computer company. (Phones are specialized computers unless you're actually talking about landline things.)
Intel is a chip company.
Microsoft is a software company... except there's Microsoft hardware out there, isn't there?
Do you think there might be a use for an over-arching term to talk about all of those companies at the same time, while leaving out, say, Unilever and Coca-Cola?
What do you think is the difference between those two groups of companies? How does Unilever make products if not through researching and applying technology?
Tesla sells cars.
Apple sells computer hardware and software.
Intel sells computer parts.
Microsoft sells computer software, hardware, and services.
Coca-Cola sells soda.
Unilever sells a little bit of nearly everything.
Numbers 2-4 are clearly tech companies, while Tesla, Coca-Cola, and Unilever clearly are not, no matter how much technology they use in delivering their cars, soda, and household goods.
If you don't see the different between software and detergent, I'm not sure I can help you. :)
Nearly everything sold involves technology. Tech companies sell the technology more directly, while non-tech companies sell the results of technological processes. Generally speaking, yes, this means that tech companies are mostly computer companies. Even companies that provide SAAS could theoretically also sell that software directly (and often do, to large enough enterprise customers), so they're still software companies.
If it weren't for companies muddying the waters while trying to raise large quantities of money, I don't think the distinction would be in any doubt whatsoever.
I still don’t get why you think software is so special. Writing a CRUD website is a technology business but PhDs doing research-level work to engineer a new type of surfactant to make a better detergent is not a technology business?
