For thirty-five years, Fortune has been tracking the world's largest companies in our Global 500 ranking. It's a strong barometer of global business, and last year a couple of trends collided to shake it up: Energy prices cooled, knocking down revenue for companies such as Saudi Aramco and Exxon Mobil; and AI got red-hot, fueling a boom for tech giants like Nvidia and Microsoft.
Which companies being built today will grow to be the world's biggest? It's the job of a venture capitalist to figure that out.
No VC firm has picked winners better than Sequoia Capital. In 1978 it gave Steve Jobs $150,000 to create Apple-now worth $3.6 trillion. Sequoia was also first to back Nvidia in 1993. It cut early checks for Google, Cisco, YouTube, and Airbnb.
This story is from the August - September 2024 edition of Fortune US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August - September 2024 edition of Fortune US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
KKR'S $1 TRILLION GAMBLE
The co-CEOs of KKR have a radical strategy to supercharge growth - and chart a path far different from that of their mentors, Henry Kravis and George Roberts.
THE SHIPWRECKED LEGACY OF MIKE LYNCH
THE BRITISH TECH MOGUL SOLD HIS COMPANY FOR $11 BILLION, THEN SPENT YEARS FIGHTING FRAUD CHARGES. HIS SHOCKING DEATH HAS LEFT MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS LIFE.
FORTUNE - CHANGE THE WORLD
THESE COMPANIES BUILD BUSINESSES AROUND SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND THEY DO WELL BY DOING GOOD.
Can Cathy Engelbert Handle the Pressure?
The WNBA commissioner and ex-Deloitte CEO is leading the league through a season of historic highs, but critics wonder if her game plan is good enough to seize the moment.
Kamalanomics: Harris's Road Map for Business
Vice President Kamala Harris hasn't done much to woo Big Business. Many executives would still rather take their chances with her than the alternative.
Mary Barra
The CEO of General Motors accelerates into our top spot.
MPW - MOST POWERFUL WOMEN 2024
WHEN FORTUNE launched its Most Powerful Women list in 1998, women were just starting to trickle into the C-suite in significant numbers.
WHO HAS TIME FOR A POWER LUNCH? THE REAL BUSINESS HAPPENS AT 4 P.M. 'POWER HOUR.'
THE SUN is pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows when the bar begins to fill with bespoke suits on a Tuesday in August at Four Twenty Five. The new restaurant from Jean-Georges Vongerichten is on the first floor of a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper, beneath the offices of financial giant Citadel Securities. And the traders are thirsty.
HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FED'S BIG RATE CUT
THE WAIT IS OVER. After more than a year of will-they-or-won't-they, the Federal Reserve on Sept. 18 announced the first cut to its benchmark Federal funds rate since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a 50-basis-point drop that Chairman Jerome Powell signaled is likely the first of many.
FOR GEN Z AT WORK, THE GENERATION GAP IS A WELLNESS GAP. HERE'S HOW TO BRIDGE IT
FOR ONE nonprofit executive director, it was a 2022 New York City subway shooting that highlighted the stark differences between how he, a 55-year-old, and his Gen Z staffers show up to work.
