The battle for the top spot in global brand rankings took an unexpected turn as two tech giants, Apple and Microsoft, surged ahead of long-time leader Amazon.
What’s behind their dramatic rise? The answer is simple: AI. Both companies made bold moves in the world of artificial intelligence, fueling innovation, boosting their brand value, and reshaping the tech landscape. From Apple’s game-changing M4 chip to Microsoft’s custom AI accelerator, these brands are not just riding the AI wave—they’re creating it. Here’s how they did it and why AI is the one thing that’s driving their massive success.
As AI entered the mainstream, companies not only adopted the technology but also leveraged it to drive innovation, growth, and brand differentiation. Alongside AI, brands continued to prioritize sustainability, diversity, and gender equality—efforts that boosted their public image and contributed to higher brand values. Research conducted by the team at TradingPedia highlights how the emergence of AI technologies had a dramatic effect on the tech industry, with several companies seeing substantial increases in their brand value in 2024. Notably, tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Google took the lead, significantly outpacing others, including online retailer Amazon. Apple, in particular, made headlines with the launch of its AI-focused M4 chip in May 2024. This development contributed to a staggering 73.6% increase in the company’s brand value, propelling it to the top spot, surpassing Amazon after several years at the helm.
Key findings from the 2024 brand value report:
- Apple Inc. topped the charts as the world’s most valuable brand in 2024, with a brand value of $516.58 billion. This marked a massive 73.6% increase from its 2023 value of $297.51 billion. Apple’s focus on AI innovation, particularly with the launch of its M4 chip, played a crucial role in its surge to the top.
- Microsoft came in second place with a brand value of $340.44 billion. The company saw a 77.7% rise in its brand value, driven by innovations like its custom AI chip, the Maia 100 AI Accelerator, designed for the Azure platform.
- Google, or more specifically its parent company, Alphabet, secured the third spot with a brand value of $333.44 billion—an 18.5% increase from the previous year. Google’s own foray into AI saw a boost with the introduction of Trillium, a new addition to their AI data center chip series.
- Amazon, which had been the leading brand for years, dropped to fourth place with a brand value of $308.9 billion, reflecting a modest 3.2% increase from 2023. Despite a slight growth in value, the company was outpaced by Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
- TikTok/Douyin, the popular Chinese social media platform, made significant gains in 2024, climbing one position to rank 5th with a brand value of $84.2 billion, marking a 28.16% increase. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, also began implementing AI in its app features, further strengthening its position in the tech space.
- Samsung, one of the few brands to lose value in 2024, saw its brand drop to 6th place with a value of $82.21 billion. The company, which primarily relies on third-party AI technology, is now planning to build its own AI data center in South Korea in response to the growing demand for AI innovation.
- Meta’s brands, Facebook and Instagram, both saw notable increases in their brand value. Facebook rose by 28.4% to $75.72 billion, while Instagram surged by 48.49% to $70.44 billion. Meta has also entered the AI chip race, launching its Artemis chip to further integrate AI into its platforms.
- Oracle made significant strides, ranking 9th with a brand value of $53.1 billion—up 34.18% from the previous year. Oracle’s AI-powered services, including its AI agents for business automation, helped boost its standing in the tech industry.
- NVIDIA, a leading AI chip developer, saw its brand value skyrocket by an impressive 163%, reaching $44.49 billion and securing the 10th spot. The company’s stock surged throughout the year, peaking at $148.88 per share in November, a 209% increase from January 2024.
The 2024 report, compiled using Brand Finance’s estimations and the Royalty Relief method, offers a unique perspective on the world’s leading brands. This approach evaluates how much a company would be willing to pay to license its brand if it did not own it, providing insight into the strength and resilience of these global brands. As the year unfolds, companies that embrace new technologies and maintain strong brand values continue to outperform, showing their capacity to adapt in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Apple and Microsoft outpaced Amazon to claim the top spots in the world’s most valuable brands rankings, and it all boils down to one thing News, Apple, Microsoft Dynamic Business
