Here are the 5 largest companies in the U.S. as measured by revenue in the last 12 months:
#5: CVS ($284.8 billion)
The first CVS was founded in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1963. CVS, which stands for “Consumer Value Stores,” initially focused on health and beauty products but expanded into the pharmacy business in 1967. CVS grew largely through acquisition, as it bought hundreds of drug stores from other companies over the years. Today, there are over 9,900 CVS stores in 49 states. And CVS has continued its expansion, merging with health care company Aetna in 2018.
#4: Berkshire Hathaway ($346.0 billion)
Berkshire Hathaway was formed by the merger of Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates and Hathaway Manufacturing Company in 1955. These two firms could trace their histories back to 1839 and 1888, respectively. In 1965, Warren Buffet and a group of investors took control, and Berkshire Hathaway went on to become the most famous holding company in the world.
#3: Apple ($365.8 billion)
Apple was founded in California in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Wayne sold his shares to Jobs and Wozniak just 12 days later, which is a shame because Apple went public in 1980 and went on to become the world’s most valuable company. At the time this video was made, Apple was worth close to two-and-a-half trillion dollars.
#2: Amazon ($458.0 billion)
Amazon was founded in 1994 in Washington state by Jeff Bezos. Bezos was working at a hedge fund at the time, but with the rise of the internet he spotted an opportunity to create a large online retailer. Amazon started out selling books but it wasn’t long before it expanded into other product categories. Along the way Bezos also created Amazon Web Services, a provider of cloud computing services that generates even more profit than Amazon’s retail operations.
#1: Walmart ($571.9 billion)
This discount retailer was founded in Arkansas in 1962 by Sam Walton. Walton was 44 years old at the time and had previously been a top-performing franchisee for the retailer Ben Franklin. Walmart went public in 1970, and today has more than 10,500 retail stores around the world with 2.2 million employees.
So there you have it, the 5 largest companies in the U.S. as measured by revenue.
How do you think this list will change in the future? Let me know in the comments below.
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