Big Tech

{{Short description|Largest and most influential technology companies in the world}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use American English|date=July 2024}}

thumb|400x400px|The largest corporations by market capitalization in 2022, with the "Big Five" tech companies in green

'''Big Tech''',<ref>Attributed to multiple references: {{bulleted list|{{Cite news |last=Soni |first=Aditya |date=October 27, 2025 |title=Big Tech to report earnings under specter of AI bubble |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/big-tech-report-earnings-under-specter-ai-bubble-2025-10-27/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251027112308/https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/big-tech-report-earnings-under-specter-ai-bubble-2025-10-27/ |archive-date=October 27, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Reuters}}|{{Cite news |last=Nicol-Schwarz |first=Kai |date=February 6, 2026 |title=Amazon Leads Big Tech's $1 Trillion Wipeout as AI Bubble Fears Ignite Sell-Off |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/ai-sell-off-stocks-amazon-oracle.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260206123442/https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/ai-sell-off-stocks-amazon-oracle.html |archive-date=February 6, 2026 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=CNBC}}|{{Cite news |last=Romm |first=Tony |date=January 17, 2020 |title=Companies Burned by Big Tech Plead for Congress to Regulate Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/17/companies-burned-by-big-tech-plead-congress-regulate-apple-amazon-facebook-google/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117231518/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/17/companies-burned-by-big-tech-plead-congress-regulate-apple-amazon-facebook-google/ |archive-date=January 17, 2020 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}|{{Cite news |last=Radsch |first=Courtney |date=November 27, 2023 |title=The Real Story of the OpenAI Debacle is the Tyranny of Big Tech |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/27/openai-microsoft-big-tech-monopoly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127140839/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/27/openai-microsoft-big-tech-monopoly |archive-date=November 27, 2023 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}|{{Cite magazine |last=Beard |first=Alison |date=January 1, 2022 |title=Can Big Tech Be Disrupted? |url=https://hbr.org/2022/01/can-big-tech-be-disrupted |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215121119/https://hbr.org/2022/01/can-big-tech-be-disrupted |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |magazine=Harvard Business Review}}|{{Cite web |date=August 28, 2025 |title=Breaking Up with Big Tech: A Human Rights–Based Argument for Tackling Big Tech's Market Power |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol30/0226/2025/en/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250828203955/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol30/0226/2025/en/ |archive-date=August 28, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Amnesty International}}}}</ref> also known as the '''tech giants'''<ref>Attributed to multiple references: {{bulleted list|{{Cite news |last1=Satariano |first1=Adam |last2=Mozur |first2=Paul |date=March 13, 2026 |title=U.S. Tech Giants Flocked to the Persian Gulf. Now They Are Targets. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/technology/amazon-google-persian-gulf-war.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260314030950/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/technology/amazon-google-persian-gulf-war.html |archive-date=March 14, 2026 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}|{{Cite news |last=Kaye |first=Danielle |date=October 29, 2025 |title=Tech Giants Are Spending Big on AI in Rush to Dominate the Boom |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp2y8rdpro |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251029225050/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp2y8rdpro |archive-date=October 29, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=BBC News}}|{{Cite news |last1=Arroyo |first1=Carmen |last2=Barbuscia |first2=Davide |date=March 12, 2026 |title=How Big Tech's AI Ambitions Are Fueling a Borrowing Boom |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-12/how-amazon-meta-and-google-are-fueling-a-big-tech-borrowing-boom-for-ai |url-access=limited |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Bloomberg News}}|{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=February 7, 2019 |title=I Cut the 'Big Five' Tech Giants From My Life. It Was Hell |url=https://gizmodo.com/i-cut-the-big-five-tech-giants-from-my-life-it-was-hel-1831304194 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207194940/https://gizmodo.com/i-cut-the-big-five-tech-giants-from-my-life-it-was-hel-1831304194 |archive-date=February 7, 2019 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |website=Gizmodo}}|{{Cite magazine |last=Woollaston-Webber |first=Victoria |date=November 29, 2016 |title=This one chart reveals how many European firms have been bought by Apple, Amazon and Alphabet |url=https://www.wired.com/story/us-acquisitions-europe/ |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250223014054/https://www.wired.com/story/us-acquisitions-europe/ |archive-date=February 23, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |magazine=Wired}}}}</ref> or '''tech titans''',<ref>Attributed to multiple references: {{bulleted list|{{Cite news |last1=Rana |first1=Preetika |last2=Dotan |first2=Tom |date=October 30, 2023 |title=Tech Titans Rebound From Tough Times as AI Fuels Optimism |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/tech-titans-rebound-from-tough-times-as-ai-fuels-optimism-77038b3a |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660}}|{{Cite news |last=Ovide |first=Shira |date=July 29, 2021 |title=Big Tech Has Outgrown This Planet |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/technology/big-tech-profits.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729164022/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/technology/big-tech-profits.html |archive-date=July 29, 2021 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}|{{Cite journal |date=January 18, 2018 |title=How to tame the tech titans |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/01/18/how-to-tame-the-tech-titans |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420021022/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/01/18/how-to-tame-the-tech-titans |archive-date=April 20, 2018 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |journal=The Economist}}|{{Cite web |last=Tapp |first=Tom |date=April 22, 2022 |title=New EU Regulations Will Force Meta, Amazon, Apple And Other Tech Titans To Police Platforms Aggressively Or Face Stiff Fines |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/eu-regulations-dsa-meta-google-1235008472/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423011537/https://deadline.com/2022/04/eu-regulations-dsa-meta-google-1235008472/ |archive-date=April 23, 2022 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}|{{Cite magazine |last1=McNamara |first1=Deborah |last2=Weihl |first2=Bill |date=March 10, 2025 |title=Tech Giants Are complicit in an Anti-Climate Agenda. Employees Should Be Speaking Up |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91293472/tech-giants-are-complicit-in-an-anti-climate-agenda-employees-should-be-speaking-up |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250316223458/https://www.fastcompany.com/91293472/tech-giants-are-complicit-in-an-anti-climate-agenda-employees-should-be-speaking-up |archive-date=March 16, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |magazine=Fast Company}}}}</ref> are the largest and most influential technology companies in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Khanal |first1=Shaleen |last2=Zhang |first2=Hongzhou |last3=Taeihagh |first3=Araz |date=April 4, 2025 |title=Why and How Is the Power of Big Tech Increasing in the Policy Process? The Case of Generative AI |journal=Policy and Society |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=52–69 |doi=10.1093/polsoc/puae012 |issn=1449-4035|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Saura García |first=Carlos |date=2024 |title=Datafeudalism: The Domination of Modern Societies by Big Tech Companies |journal=Philosophy & Technology |volume=37 |issue=3 |article-number=90 |doi=10.1007/s13347-024-00777-1 |doi-access=free|hdl=10234/208358 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> The term Big Tech commonly refers to the five U.S. technology companies Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta, also known as the Big Five. The Big Five tech companies are among the largest companies in the world by market capitalization. In 2019, the Big Five made up about a quarter of the S&P 500.<ref>Attributed to multiple references: {{bulleted list|{{Cite web |last=Herrman |first=John |date=November 13, 2019 |title=We're Stuck With the Tech Giants. But They're Stuck With Each Other. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/13/magazine/internet-platform.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114010802/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/13/magazine/internet-platform.html |archive-date=November 14, 2019 |access-date=April 22, 2020 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}|{{Cite journal |last1=Birch |first1=Kean |last2=Bronson |first2=Kelly |date=February 14, 2022 |title=Big Tech |journal=Science as Culture |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1080/09505431.2022.2036118 |doi-access=free}}|{{Cite news |last=Taplin |first=Jonathan |date=July 14, 2017 |title=Can the Tech Giants Be Stopped? |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-tech-giants-be-stopped-1500057243 |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660}}|{{Cite web |date=March 13, 2023 |title=Big Tech |url=https://brave.com/glossary/big-tech/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326185811/https://brave.com/glossary/big-tech/ |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |website=Brave}}|{{Cite news |last1=Wittenstein |first1=Jeran |last2=Vlastelica |first2=Ryan |date=October 29, 2025 |title=AI Spending Is What Matters Most in Alphabet, Microsoft Earnings |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-29/ai-spending-is-what-matters-most-in-alphabet-microsoft-earnings |url-access=limited |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Bloomberg News}}|{{Cite web |last1=DeFrancesco |first1=Dan |last2=Barr |first2=Alistair |last3=Stewart |first3=Ashley |last4=Kim |first4=Eugene |last5=Langley |first5=Hugh |last6=Dixit |first6=Pranav |date=October 27, 2025 |title=Big Tech Earnings Are Almost Here. These Are the Biggest Storylines Worth Watching. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-earnings-alphabet-meta-microsoft-amazon-apple-stock-price-2025-10 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251027110912/https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-earnings-alphabet-meta-microsoft-amazon-apple-stock-price-2025-10 |archive-date=October 27, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |website=Business Insider}}|{{Cite web |last=Bozovic |first=Novak |date=December 1, 2025 |title=What is Big Tech and who does it include? |url=https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/what-is-big-tech/ |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=ExpressVPN}}|{{Cite tweet |author=''AP Stylebook'' |author-link=AP Stylebook |user=APStylebook |date=May 27, 2020 |title=The term Big Tech refers to the technology companies that dominated global commerce throughout the 2010s. Generally this includes Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. But it shouldn’t be understood to exclude other large U.S. tech companies. #APStyleChat (1/3) |number=1265716883862573057 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528001401/https://twitter.com/APStylebook/status/1265716883862573057 |archive-date=May 28, 2020 |access-date=March 14, 2026}}}}</ref> Other large technology companies such as Netflix,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vlastelica |first=Ryan |date=April 17, 2025 |title=Netflix Defies Big Tech Slump as Wall Street Seeks Tariff Haven |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-17/netflix-nflx-share-price-defies-big-tech-slump-as-wall-street-seeks-tariff-haven |url-access=limited |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Bloomberg News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Randewich |first=Noel |date=January 21, 2018 |title=Where Netflix Goes, Big Tech May Follow |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/business/where-netflix-goes-big-tech-may-follow-idUSKBN1F80H0/ |url-access=limited |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> Nvidia,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Daniel |date=August 11, 2025 |title=Opinion: Alphabet, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft Share This One Thing—And It'll Keep the Stocks Fired Up |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/alphabet-meta-amazon-and-microsoft-share-this-one-thing-and-itll-keep-the-stocks-fired-up-5fee3540 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250811175549/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/alphabet-meta-amazon-and-microsoft-share-this-one-thing-and-itll-keep-the-stocks-fired-up-5fee3540 |archive-date=August 11, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |website=MarketWatch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Metz |first=Cade |last2=Weise |first2=Karen |last3=Isaac |first3=Mike |date=January 29, 2024 |title=Nvidia's Big Tech Rivals Put Their Own A.I. Chips on the Table |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/technology/ai-chips-nvidia-amazon-google-microsoft-meta.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129100432/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/technology/ai-chips-nvidia-amazon-google-microsoft-meta.html |archive-date=January 29, 2024 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Tesla,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Jaisinghani |first1=Sagarika |last2=Ponthus |first2= |last3=MacDonogh |first3=Isolde |date=December 17, 2025 |title=Tesla's Rally to Record High Is Leaving Big Tech Peers Behind |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-17/tesla-s-rally-to-record-high-is-leaving-big-tech-peers-behind |url-access=limited |access-date=March 14, 2026 |publisher=Bloomberg News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Liedtke |first=Michael |date=April 21, 2025 |title=Tesla Kicks Off Earnings Season for Big Tech's 'Magnificent 7' Amid Huge Market Cap Drops Spurred by 'Massive Uncertainty and Chaos' from White House |url=https://fortune.com/article/tesla-earnings-season-big-tech-magnificent-7-market-cap-white-house/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421153902/https://fortune.com/article/tesla-earnings-season-big-tech-magnificent-7-market-cap-white-house/ |archive-date=April 21, 2025 |access-date=March 14, 2026 |magazine=Fortune}}</ref> and X<ref name="Angling">{{Cite web |last=Alexandra S. Levine |date=February 26, 2021 |title=Is Twitter angling to become Big Tech? |url=https://politi.co/3ksS4X6 |access-date=August 8, 2021 |website=Politico}}</ref><ref name="SocialCommerce">{{Cite news |last1=Dang |first1=Sheila |last2=Balu |first2=Nivedita |date=July 29, 2021 |title=From Facebook to Twitter, Big Tech sees social commerce driving sales growth |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-twitter-big-tech-sees-social-commerce-driving-sales-growth-2021-07-29/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729124518/https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-twitter-big-tech-sees-social-commerce-driving-sales-growth-2021-07-29/ |archive-date=July 29, 2021 |access-date=August 8, 2021 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> are sometimes referred to as Big Tech. The term Big Tech is similar to labels for other industries such as Big Oil and Big Tobacco.<ref name="BigLabels">{{Cite magazine |last=Oremus |first=Will |date=November 17, 2017 |title=Big Tobacco. Big Pharma. Big Tech? |url=https://slate.com/technology/2017/11/how-silicon-valley-became-big-tech.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129202231/https://slate.com/technology/2017/11/how-silicon-valley-became-big-tech.html |archive-date=November 29, 2018 |access-date=November 22, 2021 |magazine=Slate}}</ref> Working in Big Tech, particularly in technical fields such as software engineering and product management, is considered highly competitive.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to get into big tech companies (FAANG+) in 7 steps |url=https://igotanoffer.com/en/advice/how-to-get-into-big-tech-companies-faang |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=IGotAnOffer |language=en}}</ref>

== History == In the late 20th century, IBM, Microsoft, and Apple dominated the worldwide information technology industry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Researcher |first=C. Q. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=98owEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT132 |title=Issues for Debate in American Public Policy: Selections from CQ Researcher |date=September 14, 2021 |publisher=CQ Press |isbn=978-1-07-183525-8}}</ref> After the dot-com bubble wiped out most of the Nasdaq Composite stock market index, surviving tech startups expanded their market share and became dominant in their markets.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krauskopf |first=Lewis |date=July 2, 2024 |title=Echoes of dotcom bubble haunt AI-driven US stock market |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/echoes-dotcom-bubble-haunt-ai-driven-us-stock-market-2024-07-02/ |work=Reuters}}</ref> The term Big Tech began to appear around 2013, when some{{who|date=May 2025}} economists speculated that a lack of regulation could lead to concentrated market power.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Feller |first=Ethan |date=July 18, 2023 |title=Alphabet Earnings Preview: Tech Titans Battle for AI and Cloud Supremacy |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alphabet-earnings-preview-tech-titans-184300445.html |access-date=June 22, 2024 |work=Yahoo! Finance}}</ref> The concept of Big Tech is similar to how the largest oil companies were called Big Oil following the 1970s energy crisis, and the largest cigarette producers were called Big Tobacco, as Congress attempted to regulate those industries.<ref name="BigLabels"/> It is also similar to how, at the beginning of the 21st century, the mainstream media became dominated by a small number of corporations called Big Media or the media giants.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Herrmann |first1=Edward |title=Global Media: The New Missionaries of Global Capitalism |pages=52–53 |year=2001 |publisher=A&C Black |last2=McChesney |first2=Robert W.}}</ref>

== Nicknames ==

=== Acronyms === Acronyms including FANG, FAANG, GAFA, GAFAM, MAGA, and MAMAA have been used to refer to Big Tech companies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 24, 2019 |title=What are the Four Big Tech Companies in the US? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-big-four-tech-companies-in-the-us.html |access-date=January 27, 2020 |website=WorldAtlas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NYSE FANG+ Index |url=https://www.theice.com/fangplus |access-date=2026-01-18 |website=www.theice.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FAANG: Beyond the Core: Exploring FAANG: Stocks and Their Impact |url=https://fastercapital.com/content/FAANG---Beyond-the-Core--Exploring-FAANG--Stocks-and-Their-Impact.html |access-date=2026-01-18 |website=FasterCapital |language=en}}</ref> Alphabet (formerly Google) may be represented by G, and Meta (formerly Facebook), may be represented by F.<ref name="cnbc mamaa">{{Cite web |last=Stankiewicz |first=Kevin |date=October 29, 2021 |title='Bye-bye FAANG, hello MAMAA'—Cramer reveals a new acronym after Facebook's name change |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/29/cramer-new-acronym-to-replace-faang-after-facebook-name-change-to-meta.html |access-date=October 30, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref>

The acronym FANG was coined in 2013 by Jim Cramer, to refer to Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. Cramer called these companies "totally dominant in their markets."<ref name="cnbc cramer 2013">{{Cite web |last=Brodie |first=Lee |date=February 5, 2013 |title=Cramer: Does Your Portfolio Have FANGs? |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2013/02/05/cramer-does-your-portfolio-have-fangs.html |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref> Cramer stated that the four companies were poised to "take a bite out of" the declining market, giving a double meaning to the acronym, according to Cramer's colleague at RealMoney.com, Bob Lang.<ref name="cnbc cramer 2013" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grant |first=Kinsey |date=September 26, 2017 |title=FANG Stocks Are Getting Their Own Index |work=TheStreet |url=https://www.thestreet.com/story/14320244/1/fang-stocks-index.html |publisher=The Street}}</ref><ref name="fool">{{Cite news |last=Frankel |first=Matthew |date=September 29, 2017 |title=What Are the FANG Stocks? |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/09/29/ask-a-fool-what-are-the-fang-stocks.aspx |access-date=August 11, 2018 |work=Motley Fool}}</ref> Cramer expanded FANG to FAANG in 2017, adding Apple to the list because its revenue made it a potential ''Fortune'' 500 company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurdus |first=Lizzy |date=May 1, 2017 |title=Cramer: Disney, Apple and the fate of FANG |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/01/cramer-disney-apple-and-the-fate-of-fang.html |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref>

Following Facebook's name change to Meta Platforms in October 2021, as well as the 2015 creation of Google holding company Alphabet, Cramer suggested replacing FAANG with MAMAA, replacing Netflix with Microsoft because Netflix's valuation had fallen behind the other companies. With Microsoft, these companies were each valued at over {{USD|900 billion|long=no}} compared to Netflix's {{USD|310 billion|long=no}}.<ref name="cnbc mamaa" /> In November 2021, The Motley Fool suggested MANAMANA (a reference to the 1968 song "Mah Nà Mah Nà") as an acronym that stands for Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Nvidia, and Adobe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mann |first=Bill |date=November 5, 2021 |title=FAANG is Dead. Long Live MANAMANA |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/11/05/faang-is-dead-long-live-manamana/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=The Motley Fool}}</ref>

Internationally, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, collectively referred to as BATX, are considered Chinese competitors to Big Tech. In 2019, Amy Webb referred to the Big Five, IBM, Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent as G-MAFIA BAT.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Sterling |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Sterling |date=March 15, 2019 |title=The Big Nine G-MAFIA BAT |url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2019/03/big-nine-g-mafia-bat/ |access-date=August 10, 2019 |magazine=Wired}}</ref>

=== Big Four === {{anchor|GAFA}} In the early 2010s, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Meta were referred to as the Big Four, The Four, the Gang of Four, and the Four Horsemen.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swisher |first=Kara |author-link=Kara Swisher |date=July 1, 2020 |title=Opinion {{!}} Here Come the 4 Horsemen of the Techopolypse |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/opinion/anti-trust-tech-hearing-facebook.html |access-date=August 28, 2020 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Galloway |first=Scott |title=The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google |publisher=Random House Large Print |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-525-50122-0}}</ref><ref name="gang4_schmidt" /> Eric Schmidt, Phil Simon, and Scott Galloway grouped the Big Four together based on their ability to create social change. They serve billions of users,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beard |first=Alison |date=January 2022 |title=Can Big Tech Be Disrupted? |url=https://hbr.org/2022/01/can-big-tech-be-disrupted |journal=Harvard Business Review |accessdate=February 26, 2023}}</ref> and are able to influence user behavior and control large amounts of user data.<ref name="brookings">{{Cite web |last1=Hendrickson |first1=Clara |last2=Galston |first2=William A. |date=May 28, 2019 |title=Big tech threats: Making sense of the backlash against online platforms |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/big-tech-threats-making-sense-of-the-backlash-against-online-platforms/ |access-date=November 19, 2021 |publisher=Brookings Institution}}</ref> As such, they have been criticized for creating a new economic order called surveillance capitalism.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zuboff |first=Shoshana |author-link=Shoshana Zuboff |title=The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power |title-link=The Age of Surveillance Capitalism |publisher=Profile Books |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-78125-685-5}}</ref> According to Simon and Galloway, this distinguishes them from other Big Tech companies such as Microsoft and IBM.<ref name="Simon_redefined" /><ref name="hidden_DNA" />

In 2011, Google executive chair Eric Schmidt excluded Microsoft from the group, stating, "Microsoft is not driving the consumer revolution in the minds of the consumers."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eric Schmidt's 'Gang Of Four' Doesn't Have Room for Microsoft |url=http://allthingsd.com/20110531/eric-schmidts-gang-of-four-doesnt-have-room-for-microsoft/ |website=AllThingsD}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2017 |title=Eric Schmidt is stepping down as the executive chairman of Alphabet |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/21/eric-schmidt-is-stepping-down-as-the-executive-chairman-of-alphabet.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> In the late 2010s, Microsoft changed its business strategy, causing its market value to increase, leading to its widespread inclusion in Big Tech and creating the term Big Five.<ref name="Financial Times article on MAGA" /><ref name="cnbc mamaa" /><ref name="microsoft-most-valuable">{{Cite news |last=Subin |first=Samantha |date=October 29, 2021 |title=Microsoft passes Apple to become the world's most valuable company |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/29/microsoft-passes-apple-to-become-the-worlds-most-valuable-company-.html |access-date=March 15, 2023 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>

=== Big Five === {{anchor|GAFAM}} {{Big Five tech companies}} Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft are referred to as the Big Five.<ref name="Financial Times article on MAGA">{{Cite web |last=Waters |first=Richard |date=July 27, 2018 |title=Move over Faangs, make way for Maga |url=https://www.ft.com/content/c817306c-914e-11e8-b639-7680cedcc421 |access-date=November 18, 2018 |website=Financial Times}}</ref><ref name="CNBC article on MAGA">{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Pippa |date=April 26, 2019 |title=Four 'MAGA' stocks are worth a combined $4 trillion. Here's the one to own, say two experts |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/26/amazon-is-the-name-to-own-in-maga-basket-of-stocks-say-two-experts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101054428/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/26/amazon-is-the-name-to-own-in-maga-basket-of-stocks-say-two-experts.html |archive-date=January 1, 2020 |access-date=January 27, 2020 |website=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 4, 2018 |title=Move over FAANG, here comes MAGA – The tech giants are still in rude health |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2018/08/04/the-tech-giants-are-still-in-rude-health |access-date=January 27, 2020 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref><ref name="Korean website MAGA article">{{Cite web |last=김제림 (Kim Je-rim) |date=May 29, 2019 |title='FAANG' 지고 'MAGA' 시대 온다 |trans-title="FAANG" is losing and "MAGA" is coming |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/economy/view/2019/05/362384/ |access-date=January 27, 2020 |website=매일경제 |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Kim |date=December 22, 2021 |title=Defining 'tech stocks': GAMMA stocks dominate |url=https://seekingalpha.com/news/3782759-defining-tech-stocks-gamma-stocks-dominate |website=Seeking Alpha}}</ref> They are among the most valuable public companies.<ref name="FXSSI most valuable companies globally, Jan 2020">{{Cite web |title=Most Valuable Companies in the World – 2020 |url=https://fxssi.com/top-10-most-valuable-companies-in-the-world |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200127180010/https://fxssi.com/top-10-most-valuable-companies-in-the-world |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |access-date=January 27, 2020 |website=FXSSI – Forex Sentiment Board}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Balu |first=Nivedita |date=January 3, 2022 |title=Apple becomes first company to hit $3 trillion market value, then slips |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/apple-gets-closer-3-trillion-market-value-2022-01-03/ |access-date=January 3, 2022 |website=Reuters}}</ref> In 2020, the Big Five were the second through sixth most valuable public companies in the world, behind Saudi Aramco.<ref name="FXSSI most valuable companies globally, Jan 2020" /> In August 2020, the Big Five accounted for nearly a quarter of the S&P 500. In March 2023, Apple and Microsoft accounted for 13% of the S&P 500.<ref name="Wall Street Journal 3-22-2023">{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Hardika |date=March 22, 2023 |title=Apple, Microsoft Dominate U.S. Markets After FAANG Trade Fizzles |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-microsoft-dominate-u-s-markets-after-faang-trade-fizzles-d6f10309 |access-date=March 22, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=News Corp}}</ref> The Big Five are among the most prestigious employers in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Companies 2021: The 50 best workplaces to grow your career in the U.S. |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-companies-2021-50-best-workplaces-grow-your-career-us- |access-date=October 5, 2021 |website=linkedin.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bariso |first=Justin |date=May 30, 2021 |title=Life at Google vs. Life at Amazon: From Hiring to Firing (and Everything in Between) |url=https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/life-at-google-vs-life-at-amazon-from-hiring-to-firing-and-everything-in-between.html |access-date=October 5, 2021 |website=Inc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Abby |title=14 things that are harder to get into than Harvard |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/things-harder-to-get-into-than-harvarad-2016-11 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>

In the 21st century, the Big Five surpassed the market capitalization of the Big Oil companies BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell. In 2019, Jason Whittaker stated that they also outpaced Big Media companies such as Comcast, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery by a factor of 10.<ref>{{Citation |last=Jason Paul Whittaker |title=Tech Giants, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Journalism (Open Access) |date=February 11, 2019 |chapter=Introduction |publisher=Routledge}}</ref> In 2017, the Big Five had a combined value of over $3.3 trillion, and made up almost half of the Nasdaq-100.<ref name="big5">{{cite web |last=Sen |first=Conor |title=The 'Big Five' Could Destroy the Tech Ecosystem |date=November 15, 2017 |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2017-11-15/the-big-five-could-destroy-the-tech-ecosystem}}</ref>

=== Magnificent Seven === A group referred to as the Magnificent Seven adds Nvidia and Tesla to the Big Five based on their contributions to the S&P 500. In 2023, the Magnificent Seven accounted for approximately two-thirds of the S&P 500's gains.<ref name="Krauskopf 2023">{{Cite web |last=Krauskopf |first=Lewis |date=December 29, 2023 |title=Can sizzling Magnificent Seven trade keep powering US stocks in 2024? |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/can-sizzling-magnificent-seven-trade-keep-powering-us-stocks-2024-2023-12-28/ |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Colvin |first=Geoff |title=A $803 billion company most people have never heard of just knocked Tesla out of the Magnificent 7 |url=https://fortune.com/2024/10/05/broadcom-tesla-magnificent-7-companies-market-cap/ |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=Fortune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Magnificent 7 Stocks: What You Need To Know |url=https://www.investopedia.com/magnificent-seven-stocks-8402262 |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=Investopedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Companies ranked by Market Cap - CompaniesMarketCap.com |url=https://companiesmarketcap.com/ |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=companiesmarketcap.com}}</ref> Over the course of the year, the Magnificent Seven delivered a groundbreaking 107% return on investment, which analysts credited to the AI boom and expected interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2023 |title=The 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks drive markets higher as AI mania grips investors |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-magnificent-seven-tech-stocks-drive-markets-higher-as-ai-mania-grips-investors-123029634.html |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=Yahoo Finance}}</ref>

By January 2024, the Magnificent Seven accounted for 29% of the S&P 500.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Russell |first1=Karl |last2=Rennison |first2=Joe |date=January 22, 2024 |title=These Seven Tech Stocks Are Driving the Market |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/22/business/magnificent-seven-stocks-tech.html |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> In February 2024, as the Magnificent Seven approached a combined valuation of $13 trillion,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cingari |first=Piero |title=Magnificent 7 Eye $13-Trillion Market Cap: 'They Are Sucking All The Air Out Of The Universe,' Wall Street Veteran Says |url=https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/24/02/36941399/magnificent-7-eye-13-trillion-market-cap-they-are-sucking-all-the-air-out-of-the-un |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=Benzingaglish}}</ref> Deutsche Bank stated that the group exceeded the valuation of the total stock market in every country in the world except Japan, China, and the United States.<ref name="CNBC 2-19-2024">{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Elliot |date=February 19, 2024 |title=Magnificent 7 profits now exceed almost every country in the world. Should we be worried? |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/19/magnificent-7-profits-now-exceed-almost-every-country-in-the-world-should-we-be-worried.html |access-date=February 19, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>

By mid-2024, Morgan Stanley stated that the Magnificent Seven accounted for 31% of the S&P 500.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Imbert |first=Fred |date=July 1, 2024 |title=Morgan Stanley says Magnificent Seven now make up 31% of the S&P 500 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/01/morgan-stanley-says-magnificent-seven-now-make-up-31percent-of-the-sp-500.html |access-date=April 17, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> Some analysts expressed concern that the group's extreme concentration could trigger a downturn similar to the dot-com crash or the crash of 1929.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Iacurci |first=Greg |date=July 1, 2024 |title=Is the U.S. stock market too 'concentrated'? Here's what to know |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/01/how-magnificent-7-affects-sp-500-stock-market-concentration.html |access-date=July 1, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> Others argued that the companies could continue to outperform the broader market.<ref name="Krauskopf 2023" /> On August 5, 2024, the Magnificent Seven briefly lost $1 trillion before quickly recovering, with the drop attributed to disappointing economic reports and growing concerns of AI overinvestment.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Goswami |first1=Rohan |last2=Levy |first2=Ari |date=August 5, 2024 |title=$1 trillion wipeout: Market rout punishes megacap tech |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/05/1-trillion-wipeout-market-rout-punishes-mega-cap-tech.html |access-date=August 5, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>

The nickname Magnificent Seven was coined in May 2023 by Bank of America analyst Michael Hartnett as a reference to the 1960 film of the same name,<ref name="Westbrook 2025" /> and popularized by Jim Cramer on ''Mad Money''.<ref name="Drury 2024" />

== Companies ==

=== Big Five ===

==== Alphabet ==== thumb|240x160px|The inside of a Google data center Alphabet is the parent company of Google, which operates several of the world's most widely used Internet services. As of 2024, Google is a major provider of online advertising (Google Ads), web search (Google Search), video sharing (YouTube), email (Gmail), web browsers (Google Chrome), web mapping (Google Maps and Waze), mobile operating systems (Android), and cloud storage (Google Drive). Its cloud computing division, Google Cloud Platform, ranks third in global market share behind Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The big three grab two-thirds of $107B cloud market in Q3 {{!}} TechTarget |url=https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/news/366634757/The-big-three-grab-two-thirds-of-107B-cloud-market-in-Q3 |access-date=2026-03-11 |website=Search Cloud Computing |language=en}}</ref> Google and Meta are often referred to as a digital advertising duopoly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Sara |date=September 29, 2020 |title=Media's failed attempt to take on the Facebook-Google 'duopoly{{'-}} |url=https://www.axios.com/medias-failed-attempt-to-take-on-the-facebook-google-duopoly-f6011c72-0209-4e49-9f6d-5c52b9212245.html |access-date=March 12, 2022 |website=Axios}}</ref> Advertising accounted for 82% of Google's revenue in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Novet |first=Jordan |date=September 26, 2021 |title=Google is slashing the amount it keeps from sales on its cloud marketplace as pressure mounts on app stores |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/26/google-lowers-its-cloud-marketplace-revenue-share-to-3percent-from-20percent.html |access-date=October 24, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref>

Alphabet is involved in various research and development initiatives in emerging technology fields including AI, quantum computing, and autonomous vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dastin |first=Jeffrey |date=December 10, 2024 |title=Google's biggest bet is AI for search, investment chief says |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/googles-biggest-bet-is-ai-search-investment-chief-says-2024-12-10 |website=Reuters}}</ref> In 2019, Google announced that its Sycamore processor had achieved quantum supremacy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gibney |first=Elizabeth |date=October 23, 2019 |title=Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim |journal=Nature |volume=574 |issue=7779 |pages=461–462 |bibcode=2019Natur.574..461G |doi=10.1038/d41586-019-03213-z |pmid=31645740 |s2cid=204836839 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2021, Alphabet's subsidiary Waymo launched public robotaxi services in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Kane |first=Sean |date=August 24, 2021 |title=Waymo starts offering autonomous rides in San Francisco |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/24/22639226/waymo-san-francisco-rides-self-driving-service |access-date=March 13, 2022 |website=The Verge}}</ref>

Alphabet reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion for the first time in January 2020, becoming the fourth U.S. company to do so.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elias |first=Jennifer |date=January 16, 2020 |title=Alphabet, Google's parent company, hits trillion-dollar market cap for first time |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/alphabet-stock-hits-1-trillion-market-cap-for-first-time.html |access-date=March 15, 2023 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramkumar |first=Amrith |date=January 16, 2020 |title=Alphabet Becomes Fourth U.S. Company to Reach $1 Trillion Market Value |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/alphabet-becomes-fourth-u-s-company-to-ever-reach-1-trillion-market-value-11579208802 |access-date=March 15, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

==== Amazon ==== Amazon is one of the largest global e-commerce companies and operates several other business lines, including cloud computing, digital streaming, and AI. As of 2024, Amazon accounts for 38% of e-commerce market share in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Latest US Ecommerce Statistics (2025) {{!}} StatsUp |url=https://analyzify.com/statsup/us-ecommerce |access-date=March 28, 2025 |website=analyzify.com}}</ref> The company's Amazon Web Services (AWS) division is one of the most widely used cloud platforms and has generated the majority of Amazon's operating profit since 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 13, 2021 |title=In the 15 years since its launch, Amazon Web Services transformed how companies do business |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/in-the-15-years-since-its-launch-amazon-web-services-has-transformed-how-companies-do-business/ |access-date=October 24, 2021 |website=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Novet |first=Jordan |date=September 5, 2021 |title=How Amazon's cloud business generates billions in profit |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/05/how-amazon-web-services-makes-money-estimated-margins-by-service.html |access-date=October 24, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref>

Amazon was the second U.S. company after Apple to reach a $1 trillion market cap, briefly doing so in 2018 and again in early 2020. It closed above that threshold for the first time in April 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feiner |first=Lauren |date=April 14, 2020 |title=Amazon stock hits a new all-time high as it sees unprecedented demand |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/14/amazon-stock-hits-a-new-all-time-high.html |access-date=March 15, 2023 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> Although Amazon's valuation fell below $1 trillion in late 2022,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Capoot |first=Ashley |date=November 1, 2022 |title=Amazon sell-off pushes market cap below $1 trillion for first time since April 2020 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/01/amazon-plunge-pushes-valuation-below-1-trillion-first-time-since-2020.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> it recovered in 2023 and surpassed $2 trillion in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Palmer |first=Annie |date=June 26, 2024 |title=Amazon reaches $2 trillion market cap for the first time |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/26/amazon-reaches-2-trillion-market-cap-for-the-first-time.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>

==== Apple ==== Apple designs and sells electronics and software, including the iPhone, Mac computers, and the Apple Watch. It also offers services such as the App Store, iCloud, and Apple Music. Apple and Google form a mobile operating system duopoly, with iOS holding 27% global market share and Android 72%.<ref name="big5" /><ref>{{Citation |title=How 5 Tech Giants Have Become More Like Governments Than Companies |date=October 26, 2017 |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/10/26/560136311/how-5-tech-giants-have-become-more-like-governments-than-companies}}</ref>

In August 2018, Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Salinas |first=Sara |date=August 2, 2018 |title=Apple hangs onto its historic $1 trillion market cap |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/02/apple-hits-1-trillion-in-market-value.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> It reached $2 trillion in August 2020 and $3 trillion in January 2022—the first U.S. company to reach each of those milestones.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leswing |first=Kif |date=January 3, 2022 |title=Apple becomes first U.S. company to reach $3 trillion market cap |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/03/apple-becomes-first-us-company-to-reach-3-trillion-market-cap.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> Apple briefly fell below $2 trillion in January 2023 but again closed above $3 trillion later that year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Field |first=Hayden |date=June 30, 2023 |title=Apple's market cap closes above $3 trillion for the first time |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/30/apples-market-cap-passes-3-trillion-in-early-trading.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>

==== Meta ==== Meta Platforms owns and operates major social media and messaging services, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. Meta generates most of its revenue through advertising, which accounted for 96.69% of total revenue in 2024.<ref name="2025_results">{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2025 |title=Meta Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results|url=https://investor.atmeta.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2025/Meta-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2024-Results/default.aspx}}</ref>

The company entered the virtual reality market with its 2014 acquisition of Oculus, and in 2021 rebranded from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms to reflect a broader focus on the metaverse, a term referring to digital environments built around virtual and augmented reality technologies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dwoskin |first=Elizabeth |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Facebook is changing its name to Meta as it focuses on the virtual world |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/28/facebook-meta-name-change/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Such efforts are grouped under the umbrella term "Reality Labs" in its financial statements.<ref name="2025_results"/>

==== Microsoft ==== Microsoft develops desktop operating systems, productivity software, and enterprise and cloud services. As of 2024, its products include Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft Office suite (including Microsoft 365), and Microsoft Teams for business communication.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft Teams Now Has Roughly 250 Million Monthly Active Users Globally |work=News18 |url=https://www.news18.com/news/tech/microsoft-teams-now-has-roughly-250-million-monthly-active-users-globally-4016969.html}}</ref> Microsoft is also the second-largest cloud provider through Microsoft Azure, after Amazon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vargas |first=Cristina |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Cloud Market Share 2019: AWS vs Azure vs Google – Who's Winning? |work=Skyhigh |url=https://www.skyhighnetworks.com/cloud-security-blog/microsoft-azure-closes-iaas-adoption-gap-with-amazon-aws/ |access-date=January 27, 2020 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111225436/https://www.skyhighnetworks.com/cloud-security-blog/microsoft-azure-closes-iaas-adoption-gap-with-amazon-aws/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> It also owns Microsoft Gaming, one of the largest companies in the video game industry.

Microsoft reached a $1 trillion market cap in April 2019,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Levy |first=Ari |date=April 25, 2019 |title=Microsoft hits $1 trillion market cap for the first time as stock jumps on earnings beat |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/25/microsoft-hits-1-trillion-market-cap-for-the-first-time-on-earnings.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> crossed $2 trillion in June 2021,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Novet |first=Jordan |date=June 24, 2021 |title=Microsoft closes above $2 trillion market cap for the first time |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/24/microsoft-closes-above-2-trillion-market-cap-for-the-first-time.html |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> and in October 2021 briefly overtook Apple as the most valuable publicly traded U.S. company.

=== Other U.S. companies === Other U.S. companies are sometimes referred to as Big Tech due to their market capitalization, product reach, or cultural influence, including Adobe, AMD, Anthropic, Broadcom, Cisco, Dell, HPE, IBM, Intel, Micron, Netflix, OpenAI, Oracle, Qualcomm, Salesforce, Tesla, X, and Uber.<ref name="Angling" /><ref name="SocialCommerce" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Iszler |first=Madison |date=July 31, 2025 |title=Tesla falls on Fortune 500 list of biggest companies; Dell and Oracle rise |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2025/06/06/tesla-falls-on-fortune-500-list-of-biggest-companies-dell-and-oracle-rise/84075295007 |access-date=March 12, 2026 |work=Austin American-Statesman}}</ref>

==== Nvidia ==== Nvidia is a software and fabless semiconductor company that designs and supplies graphics processing units (GPUs), application programming interfaces (APIs) for data science and high-performance computing, and system on a chip (SoC) units for mobile computing and automotive markets. Nvidia is the dominant supplier of hardware and software used by AI systems.<ref name="Datamation2">{{Cite web |last=Enderle |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Enderle |date=January 18, 2022 |title=Why NVIDIA Has Become a Leader in the AI Market |url=https://www.datamation.com/artificial-intelligence/why-nvidia-leader-ai-market/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529110601/https://www.datamation.com/artificial-intelligence/why-nvidia-leader-ai-market/ |archive-date=May 29, 2022 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=Datamation}}</ref><ref name="VB2">{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Sharon |date=February 23, 2023 |title=How Nvidia dominated AI — and plans to keep it that way as generative AI explodes |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/how-nvidia-dominated-ai-and-plans-to-keep-it-that-way-as-generative-ai-explodes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301074856/https://venturebeat.com/ai/how-nvidia-dominated-ai-and-plans-to-keep-it-that-way-as-generative-ai-explodes/ |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=VentureBeat}}</ref>

Nvidia reached a $1 trillion market capitalization in May 2023,<ref name="CNBC 5-30-20232">{{Cite news |last=Goswami |first=Rohan |date=May 30, 2023 |title=Nvidia crosses into $1 trillion market cap before giving back gains |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/30/nvidia-on-track-to-hit-1-trillion-market-cap-when-market-opens.html |access-date=May 30, 2023 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> and by late 2024, it had surpassed both Amazon and Alphabet in market value. Nvidia subsequently became the most valuable publicly traded company in the world.

==== Tesla ==== Tesla is primarily an automaker, which has led to debate over its categorization as a technology company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yeung |first=Nathan Alexander |date=2025-01-22 |title=Is Tesla A Tech Company: The Debate Explained |url=https://www.profolus.com/topics/is-tesla-a-tech-company-the-debate-explained/ |access-date=2026-03-11 |website=Profolus |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, ''Fortune'' included Tesla in its coverage of Big Tech, and ''The Washington Post'' likened Tesla vehicles to iPhones in terms of ecosystem integration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Big Tech stocks weathered the Q1 selloff. Others weren't so lucky |url=https://fortune.com/2022/03/31/tech-stocks-q1-apple-amazon-microsoft-inflation-interest-rates/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=Fortune |url-access=subscription |first1=Jacob |last1=Carpenter |date=March 31, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://archive.today/20220331190511/https://fortune.com/2022/03/31/tech-stocks-q1-apple-amazon-microsoft-inflation-interest-rates/ |archive-date= 31 Mar 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Tesla is like an 'iPhone on wheels.' And consumers are locked into its ecosystem. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/14/tesla-apple-tech/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |url-access=subscription |first1=Faiz |last1=Siddiqui |date=May 14, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250217001922/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/14/tesla-apple-tech/ |archive-date= 17 Feb 2025 }}</ref> Critics, including analysts at ''Business Insider'', argue Tesla should be classified strictly as an automaker.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeBord |first=Matthew |title=Everyone who thinks Tesla is a tech company is completely wrong — Tesla should aspire to be Honda |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tesla-is-not-a-tech-company-2019-2 |date=Feb 9, 2019 |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> ''Barron's'' acknowledged Tesla's position as a tech company but emphasized that its business model differs from that of traditional IT companies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Root |first=Al |title=Why Tesla Isn't a Very Good Tech Company |url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/tesla-tsla-wall-street-bear-technology-electric-vehicles-51646052404 |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=Barron's |date=Feb 28, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220228151241/https://www.barrons.com/amp/articles/tesla-tsla-wall-street-bear-technology-electric-vehicles-51646052404 |archive-date= 28 Feb 2022 }}</ref> Tesla's occasional inclusion in Big Tech comes from its substantial investments in AI and autonomous driving, and robotics technologies. ''Yahoo Finance'' and Reuters have both noted that Tesla's stock performance has been increasingly decoupled from its vehicle sales and more closely tied to its technological ambitions.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tesla's AI push could pave the way for the next chapter of its stock story |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/teslas-ai-push-could-pave-174128929.html |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Yahoo Finance |first1=Faizan |last1=Farooque |date=November 29, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250425043731/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/teslas-ai-push-could-pave-174128929.html |archive-date= Apr 25, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Tesla's stock defied gravity for years. Is Elon Musk's EV party over? |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/teslas-stock-defied-gravity-years-is-elon-musks-ev-party-over-2025-03-10/ |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Tesla's Valuation Shows What Wall Street Thinks AI Is Worth |url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/tesla-valuation-ai-stock-price-1ccb2c46 |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Barron's}}</ref>

Tesla first reached a $1 trillion market capitalization in October 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Subin |first=Samantha |date=October 25, 2021 |title=Tesla hits $1 trillion market cap for the first time after Hertz says it will buy 100,000 electric vehicles |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/25/tesla-shares-up-on-news-hertz-will-purchase-100000-electric-vehicles.html |access-date=December 29, 2022 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lahiff |first=Keris |date=October 25, 2021 |title=As Tesla joins the elite $1 trillion stock club, two traders see another potential milestone ahead |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/25/tesla-stock-passes-1-trillion-market-cap-traders-bet-on-more-gains.html |access-date=December 29, 2022 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> Its valuation declined during the 2022 stock market decline, dropping from $1.3 trillion in November 2021 to $495 billion by the end of 2022, including a 40% loss in December alone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bobrowsky |first=Meghan |date=December 30, 2022 |title=Tesla Stock Fell 65% in 2022, Its Biggest-Ever Annual Decline |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-stock-is-headed-for-its-biggest-ever-annual-decline-11672374248 |access-date=December 30, 2022 |work=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=News Corp}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kolodny |first=Lora |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Elon Musk sells another huge chunk of Tesla shares |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/15/elon-musk-sells-another-huge-chunk-of-tesla-shares-.html |access-date=December 29, 2022 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Goswami |first=Rohan |date=December 27, 2022 |title=Tesla's stock is headed for its worst month, quarter and year on record |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/27/teslas-stock-is-headed-for-its-worst-month-quarter-year-on-record.html |access-date=December 29, 2022 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> The company again surpassed a $1 trillion valuation in November 2024, before a major decline throughout the first quarter of 2025, largely attributed to political criticism of CEO Elon Musk and his involvement in the second Trump administration.<ref>{{cite web |last=Isidore |first=Chris |title=Tesla sales plunge: Biggest decline in history |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/02/business/tesla-sales/ |website=CNN|date=April 2, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Palmer |first=Annie |date=November 8, 2024 |title=Tesla hits $1 trillion market cap as stock rallies after Trump win |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/08/tesla-hits-1-trillion-market-cap-as-stock-rallies-after-trump-win.html |access-date=November 8, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref>

=== Asian companies === {{See also|Big Tech (India)}} The large Chinese tech companies Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, collectively referred to as BATX, have also been referred to as Big Tech.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" /> The following Asian companies have also been referred to as Big Tech:<ref name="Drury 2024">{{Cite web |last=Drury |first=Keithen |date=July 6, 2024 |title=Forget the 'Magnificent Seven.' What About the Incredible Eight? |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/07/06/forget-magnificent-seven-what-about-incredible-eig/ |access-date=April 17, 2025 |website=The Motley Fool}}</ref> * China: BYD, ByteDance, DJI, Geely, Huawei, JD.com, Lenovo, Meituan, NetEase, Pinduoduo, SMIC<ref name="Westbrook 2025">{{Cite news |last1=Westbrook |first1=Tom |last2=Shen |first2=Samuel |date=February 19, 2025 |title=Nicknames bloom in China's tech renaissance |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/nicknames-bloom-chinas-tech-renaissance-2025-02-19/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250226034758/https://www.reuters.com/technology/nicknames-bloom-chinas-tech-renaissance-2025-02-19/#selection-1289.0-1487.198 |archive-date=February 26, 2025 |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Why China crushed its tech giants |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-tech-giants-policy |access-date=September 29, 2021 |magazine=Wired UK |issn=1357-0978}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2022 |title=China's DJI rebuffs Russian post calling its drones 'symbol of modern warfare' |url=https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3188932/chinese-drone-maker-dji-asserts-its-products-civilian-use-after |access-date=November 18, 2022 |website=South China Morning Post}}</ref> * India: Cognizant, Flipkart, HCLTech, Infosys, Meesho, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Wipro * Japan: Fujitsu, Hitachi, LYC, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Rakuten, Sony, Toshiba * Singapore: Grab, Sea * South Korea: LG, Naver, Samsung, SK * Taiwan: ASE Group, Foxconn, MediaTek, Pegatron, Quanta Computers, TSMC, Wistron * Other countries: Ayala (Philippines), Goto (Indonesia)

== Causes == Nikos Smyrnaios argued in 2016 that four phenomena allowed Big Tech to emerge: technological convergence, deregulation, globalization, and financialization.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" /> He argued that people like Nicholas Negroponte promoted technological convergence and made an Internet oligopoly appear desirable. The complexity of IT made competition law ineffective, resulting in industry self-regulation. Globalization allowed Big Tech companies to minimize their tax burden and pay foreign workers lower wages.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" /> Without regulation, Big Tech earned big profits: in 2014, Google, Apple, and Facebook earned over 20% profit margins.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" />

=== Innovation === Critics have alleged that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act allowed Big Tech to evade responsibility for user-generated content. It states, "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." Section 230 has been called "the twenty-six words that created the Internet."<ref name="zdnet book">{{Cite web |last=Grossman |first=Wendy M. |title=The Twenty-Six Words that Created the Internet, book review: The biography of a law |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-twenty-six-words-that-created-the-internet-book-review-the-biography-of-a-law/ |access-date=September 4, 2020 |website=ZDNet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://internetassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Economic-Value-of-Internet-Intermediaries-the-Role-of-Liability-Protections.pdf |title=Economic Value of Internet Intermediaries and the Role of Liability Protections |last=Dippon |first=Christian |date=2017 |publisher=NERA Economic Consulting |access-date=May 30, 2020 |via=Internet Association}}</ref> Without the legal requirement for content moderation, online services could innovate freely and achieved rapid growth in the early days of the Internet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=February 8, 2021 |title=Section 230 Is 25 Years Old, And It's Never Been More Important |url=https://www.theverge.com/22268421/cda-section-230-25th-anniversary-reform-stakes-big-tech-internet |access-date=November 20, 2021 |publisher=The Verge}}</ref>

According to Alexis Madrigal, the innovation that initially characterized Silicon Valley has been replaced by a strategy of growth through acquisitions.<ref name="madrigal">{{Cite web |last=Madrigal |first=Alexis C. |date=January 15, 2020 |title=Silicon Valley Abandons the Culture That Made It the Envy of the World |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/01/why-silicon-valley-and-big-tech-dont-innovate-anymore/604969/ |access-date=December 20, 2023 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref> For example, Apple started in 1976 as an engineering-focused startup company, and quickly claimed market share from less innovative competitors like Xerox.<ref name="madrigal" /> The tech giants made timely investments in personal computers, websites, e-commerce, mobile devices, social media, and cloud computing, and rank highly on the list of companies by research and development spending.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Molla |first=Rani |date=April 9, 2018 |title=Amazon spent nearly $23 billion on R&D last year—more than any other U.S. company |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/4/9/17204004/amazon-research-development-rd |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 1, 2021 |title='It's just the beginning': Covid push to digital boosts big tech profits |url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/may/01/its-just-the-beginning-covid-push-to-digital-boosts-big-tech-profits |access-date=October 24, 2021 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> However, large companies tend to focus on operational efficiency instead of new product development.<ref name="madrigal" />

Legal scholar Tim Wu speculated that Big Tech acquisitions could create "kill zones" that stifle competition by taking potential competitors out of the marketplace. For example, Facebook's acquisition of Instagram prevented Instagram from becoming an independent platform similar to Facebook.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 17, 2019 |title=Why tech industry monopolies could be a 'curse' for society |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-tech-industry-monopolies-could-be-a-curse-for-society |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=PBS NewsHour}}</ref> On the other hand, Wu stated that Microsoft's concentration of market power created a platform for new kinds of innovation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wu |first=Tim |date=July 16, 2019 |title=Where New Industries Get Their Start: Rebooting the Startup Economy |url=https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU05/20190716/109793/HHRG-116-JU05-Wstate-WuT-20190716.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221015732/https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU05/20190716/109793/HHRG-116-JU05-Wstate-WuT-20190716.pdf |archive-date=December 21, 2019 |website=House of Representatives}}</ref>

According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, "Virtually all so-called killer acquisitions represent the technologies and capabilities the companies view as critical to their competitiveness. If they purchase a company innovating within this zone, they are far more likely to develop its innovation than to bury it. In doing so, they often make the technology available faster and to more people than would otherwise be possible. If companies are prevented from making acquisitions, they are more likely to copy the products or develop alternative innovations than they are to ignore them. Assuming incumbents don't violate intellectual property laws, this type of competition is both legal and socially beneficial."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Joe |date=November 9, 2020 |title=Monopoly Myths: Is Big Tech Creating 'Kill Zones'? |url=https://itif.org/publications/2020/11/09/monopoly-myths-big-tech-creating-kill-zones}}</ref>

Competition between cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform contributed to open-source software infrastructure including LLVM and the Linux kernel. The "cloud wars" also caused Big Tech companies to invest in data centers and undersea cables. The operational efficiency of Big Tech technology stacks means startup companies typically must use Big Tech infrastructure instead of building their own.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Haroun |first=Chris |date=April 10, 2014 |title=Fighting the Big Fight: What the Cloud Wars Mean for Netflix, Spotify, Airbnb |url=https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/04/fighting-big-fight-cloud-wars-mean-netflix-spotify-airbnb/ |access-date=November 24, 2021 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 2021 |title=Tech giants fight 'cloud wars' deep in the ocean |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57070318 |access-date=November 24, 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

=== Business strategy === Nikos Smyrnaios argued in 2016 that Big Tech companies concentrate power by vertically integrating data centers, Internet connectivity, computer hardware (including smartphones), operating systems, applications (including Web browsers), and online services. He also argued that they concentrate power by horizontally integrating different services such as email, instant messaging, online searching, downloading, and streaming across platforms.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" /> For example, Google and Microsoft pay for their search engines to be included with Apple's iPhone.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/technology/apple-google-search-antitrust.html Apple, Google and a Deal That Controls the Internet] The New York Times, 2020.</ref> According to ''The Economist'', "Network and scale effects mean that size begets size, while data can act as a barrier to entry."<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 27, 2021 |title=The rules of the tech game are changing |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/02/27/the-rules-of-the-tech-game-are-changing |access-date=September 29, 2021 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

== Criticism == According to ''The Globe and Mail'', both left-wing and right-wing politicians have criticized Big Tech.<ref name="Kingwell 2022">{{Cite news |last=Kingwell |first=Mark |date=January 7, 2022 |title=Opinion: Might the left and right unite in their shared hatred of Big Tech? |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-might-the-left-and-right-unite-in-their-shared-hatred-of-big-tech/ |access-date=March 5, 2022 |work=The Globe and Mail}}</ref> Progressives have alleged "runaway profit-taking and concentration of wealth," and conservatives have alleged "liberal bias."<ref name="Kingwell 2022" /> According to ''The New York Times'', "The left generally argues that companies like Facebook and Twitter aren't doing enough to root out misinformation, extremism and hate on their platforms, while the right insists that tech companies are going so overboard in their content decisions that they're suppressing conservative political views."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manjoo |first=Farhad |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Regulating Online Speech Can Be a Terrible Idea |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/opinion/buffalo-shooting-internet-regulations.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220521041415/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/opinion/buffalo-shooting-internet-regulations.html |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=May 19, 2022 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> According to ''The Hill'', libertarians oppose government regulation of Big Tech due to their support for ''laissez-faire'' economics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thayer |first=Joel |date=February 28, 2022 |title=The damnable religious inklings of the Big Tech libertarian |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/cybersecurity/595880-the-damnable-religious-inklings-of-the-big-tech-libertarian/ |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=The Hill}}</ref>

Scott Galloway said Big Tech companies "avoid taxes, invade privacy, and destroy jobs."<ref name="cnbc_avoid_taxes" /> Nikos Smyrnaios described Big Tech as an oligopoly that dominates the information technology market through anti-competitive practices, ever-increasing economic power, and intellectual property.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" /> Smyrnaios argued that the current situation is the result of deregulation, globalization, and the failure of politicians to understand and respond to developments in technology. Smyrnaios recommended developing academic analysis of the political economy of the Internet to understand the methods of domination and to criticize these methods to encourage opposition to that domination.<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM" />

Some conspiracy theorists believe Big Tech is a corporate front for a group of "interconnected and overlapping" ideologies referred to as TESCREAL (Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism).<ref>{{cite web |last=Torres |first=Émile P |author-link=Émile P. Torres |date=June 15, 2023 |title=The Acronym Behind Our Wildest AI Dreams and Nightmares |url=https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-acronym-behind-our-wildest-ai-dreams-and-nightmares/ |access-date=October 1, 2023 |website=TruthDig |publisher= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Troy |first=Dave |date=May 1, 2023 |title=The Wide Angle: Understanding TESCREAL — the Weird Ideologies Behind Silicon Valley's Rightward Turn |url=https://washingtonspectator.org/understanding-tescreal-silicon-valleys-rightward-turn/ |access-date=October 1, 2023 |website=The Washington Spectator |publisher= |quote= |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606223259/https://washingtonspectator.org/understanding-tescreal-silicon-valleys-rightward-turn/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ahuja |first=Anjana |author-link=Anjana Ahuja |date=May 10, 2023 |title=We need to examine the beliefs of today's tech luminaries |url=https://www.ft.com/content/edc30352-05fb-4fd8-a503-20b50ce014ab |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231211051528/https://www.ft.com/content/edc30352-05fb-4fd8-a503-20b50ce014ab |archive-date=December 11, 2023 |access-date=October 1, 2023 |website=Financial Times}}</ref> TESCREAL is believed to use the threat of human extinction to justify risky investments without sufficient government oversight.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gebru |first1=Timnit |author-link=Timnit Gebru |last2=Torres |first2=Émile P. |author-link2=Émile P. Torres |date=April 14, 2024 |title=The TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopia through artificial general intelligence |journal=First Monday |volume=29 |issue=4 |doi=10.5210/fm.v29i4.13636 |issn=1396-0466 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Alexander |chapter=Systemic Dehumanization |date=2024 |title=The Politics and Ethics of Transhumanism |pages=159–194 |jstor=jj.14284473.9 |series=Techno-Human Evolution and Advanced Capitalism |edition=1 |publisher=Bristol University Press |doi=10.2307/jj.14284473.9 |isbn=978-1-5292-3964-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stross |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Stross |date=December 20, 2023 |title=Tech Billionaires Need to Stop Trying to Make the Science Fiction They Grew Up on Real |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech-billionaires-need-to-stop-trying-to-make-the-science-fiction-they-grew-up-on-real/ |access-date=June 27, 2024 |website=Scientific American |archive-date=June 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626062646/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech-billionaires-need-to-stop-trying-to-make-the-science-fiction-they-grew-up-on-real/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Censorship ===

Big Tech companies have faced political censorship. China banned Google in 2010 because Google refused to censor search results critical of the Chinese Communist Party.<ref name="technology-europe" /><ref name="Leskin">{{Cite web |last=Leskin |first=Paige |title=Here are all the major US tech companies blocked behind China's 'Great Firewall' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/major-us-tech-companies-blocked-from-operating-in-china-2019-5 |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Meta and X have been banned in China since 2009.<ref name="Leskin" /> In India, Facebook and Twitter were accused of censorship during the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2020 |title=Farmers' protest page was flagged as spam, clarifies Facebook a day after blocking account |url=https://scroll.in/latest/981912/farmers-protest-page-was-flagged-as-spam-clarifies-facebook-a-day-after-blocking-account |access-date=December 5, 2021 |website=Scroll.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Karan Deep |date=February 10, 2021 |title=Twitter Blocks Accounts in India as Modi Pressures Social Media |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/technology/india-twitter.html |access-date=December 5, 2021 |work=New York Times}}</ref> The Wall Street Journal stated that Facebook only restricted content criticizing the Indian government, even if government supporters posted false statements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Facebook did not ban Bajrang Dal due to concern for employees' safety, business prospects: Report |url=https://scroll.in/latest/981158/facebook-did-not-ban-bajrang-dal-due-to-concern-for-employees-safety-business-prospects-report |access-date=December 5, 2021 |website=Scroll.in}}</ref>

In 2021, Alexei Navalny criticized Apple and Google for complying with a Russian government order to ban the Smart Voting app.<ref name="technology-europe">{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2021 |title=Apple, Google raise new concerns by yanking Russian app |url=https://apnews.com/article/technology-europe-business-russia-vladimir-putin-b811d32132c41840e1eb32c024235452 |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=Associated Press}}</ref> On February 24, 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. In March 2022, Russia blocked Facebook and Twitter because of "disinformation" and "fake news."<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2022 |title=Russia blocks access to Facebook and Twitter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/russia-completely-blocks-access-to-facebook-and-twitter |access-date=March 6, 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> On March 21, 2022, Russia recognized Meta as an "extremist organization," making Meta the first public company recognized as extremist in Russia.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 21, 2022 |title=Russia labels Meta an 'extremist organization', says WhatsApp can stay |url=https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/russia-labels-meta-an-extremist-organization-says-whatsapp-can-stay-2 |work=Financial Post}}</ref> Microsoft's LinkedIn has been blocked in Russia since 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 21, 2021 |title=Facebook, Google others face higher fines in Russia as Kremlin cracks down |url=https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3149511/facebook-google-and-other-big-tech-firms-face-more-fines-russia |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=South China Morning Post}}</ref>

In the United States, conservatives and Republican politicians frequently allege censorship of their viewpoints and ideas,<ref name="Fung">{{Cite news |last=Fung |first=Brian |date=October 21, 2024 |title=How Republicans pushed social media companies to stop fighting election misinformation |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/21/politics/election-social-media-misinformation-republicans |access-date=May 13, 2025}}</ref> however, research has not supported the allegation that social media companies are biased against conservative viewpoints.<ref name="Izaguirre">{{Cite web |last=Izaguirre |first=Anthony |date=2021-03-07 |title=GOP Pushes Bills to Allow Social Media 'Censorship' Lawsuits |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/gop-pushes-bills-to-allow-social-media-censorship-lawsuits/2455807/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219222438/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/gop-pushes-bills-to-allow-social-media-censorship-lawsuits/2455807/ |archive-date=2021-12-19 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=NBC Chicago|quote=Researchers have not found widespread evidence that social media companies are biased against conservative news, posts or materials.}}</ref> The practice of banning hate speech has also received criticism from conservatives.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McCullagh |first=Declan |date=February 2019 |title=Deplatforming Is a Dangerous Game |url=https://reason.com/archives/2019/01/20/deplatforming |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331055502/https://reason.com/archives/2019/01/20/deplatforming |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |magazine=Reason}}</ref> Following the 2020 United States presidential election, CNN described a "yearslong intimidation campaign led by Republican attorneys general and state and federal lawmakers" to make social media companies "platform falsehoods and hate speech" and thwart those "working to study or limit the spread" of it.<ref name="Fung"/> According to a February 2021 report by New York University researchers, conservative claims of social media censorship could be considered disinformation and false. The report also recommended that social media platforms should increase their transparency to push back against claims of censorship.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Analysis {{!}} The Technology 202: New report calls conservative claims of social media censorship 'a form of disinformation' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/01/technology-202-new-report-calls-conservative-claims-social-media-censorship-a-form-disinformation/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210202160641/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/01/technology-202-new-report-calls-conservative-claims-social-media-censorship-a-form-disinformation/ |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=August 28, 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tech – Bias Report 2021 |url=https://bhr.stern.nyu.edu/bias-report-release-page |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210202160641/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/01/technology-202-new-report-calls-conservative-claims-social-media-censorship-a-form-disinformation/ |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=August 28, 2021 |website=NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights}}</ref> Republican-introduced bills in many states have allowed for civil lawsuits against social media companies over perceived "censorship" of posts, especially those related to politics or religion.<ref name="Izaguirre"/> During the 2024 United States presidential election, ''The New York Times'' described social media as being predominantly right-leaning despite claims of conservative censorship,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Frenkel |first=Sheera |date=November 17, 2024 |title=Liberals Are Left Out in the Cold as Social Media Veers Right |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/technology/election-right-wing-social-media.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241228155655/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/technology/election-right-wing-social-media.html |archive-date=December 28, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2025 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> and the Pew Research Center found that more social media influencers leaned conservative (27%) than liberal (21%).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reilly |first=Liam |date=November 18, 2024 |title=Nearly 40% of young Americans get their news from influencers. Many of them lean to the right, study finds |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/18/media/news-influencers-social-media-conservative-study/ |access-date=November 21, 2024 |archive-date=2024-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119002802/https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/18/media/news-influencers-social-media-conservative-study/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2020, the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law interviewed the CEOs of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. During the hearings, some members of Congress alleged bias against conservatives on social media.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 29, 2020 |title=Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google grilled on Capitol Hill over their market power |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/29/apple-google-facebook-amazon-congress-hearing/ |access-date=August 28, 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> Matt Gaetz protested Amazon's ban on donations to hate groups, stating that Jeff Bezos should "divorce from the SPLC."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breland |first=Ali |title=In attacking Amazon, Matt Gaetz boosts a terrorist organization |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/07/matt-gaetz-jeff-bezos-jewish-defense-league/ |access-date=August 28, 2021 |website=Mother Jones}}</ref>

On November 5, 2020, President Donald Trump alleged "historic election interference from big money, big media, and big tech." Conservative newspaper ''The Washington Times'' criticized Trump's claims as lacking evidence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 5, 2020 |title=Trump Blames 'Big Media, Big Tech' as he Rails Against Election 'Fraud' Without Evidence |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-blames-big-media-big-tech-he-rails-against-election-fraud-without-evidence-1545291 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Washington Times}}</ref> During Trump's speech that incited the January 6 United States Capitol attack, he accused Big Tech of rigging the 2020 election and promised to "get rid of" Section 230. According to Trump, "They rigged it like they have never rigged an election before, and by the way, last night, they didn't do a bad job either."<ref name="trump told">{{Cite web |title=This is what Trump told supporters before many stormed Capitol Hill. |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-told-supporters-stormed-capitol-hill/story?id=75110558 |url-access=registration |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=ABC News |quote=The fake news and the big tech, big tech, is now coming into their own. We beat them four years ago, we surprised them. We took him by surprise and this year they rigged an election, they rigged it like they have never rigged an election before, and by the way, last night, they didn't do a bad job either, if you notice. I am honest, and I just again, I want to thank you. It's just a great honor to have this kind of crowd and to be before you and hundreds of thousands of American patriots who are committed to the honesty of our elections and the integrity of our glorious Republic.}}</ref> After Trump's Twitter account was suspended, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief spokesman Steffen Seibert noted that Merkel found Twitter's halt of Trump's account "problematic," adding that legislators, not private companies, should decide on any necessary curbs to free expression if hate speech incites violence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Angela Merkel finds Twitter's block on Trump's account 'problematic' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/11/angela-merkel-finds-twitter-halt-trump-account-problematic/ |access-date=January 12, 2021 |work=The Daily Telegraph |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2021 |title='Problematic': Germany's Angela Merkel calls out Twitter over Trump ban |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7569278/angela-merkel-trump-twitter-ban/ |access-date=January 12, 2021 |website=Global News}}</ref>

Conservatives argued that Facebook and Twitter limiting the spread of the Hunter Biden laptop controversy "proves Big Tech's bias."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tiffany |first=Kaitlyn |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Why Hunter Biden's Laptop Will Never Go Away |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/04/tech-companies-suppressed-biden-laptop/629680/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Hunter Biden laptop confirmation proves Big Tech's bias |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/hunter-biden-laptop-confirmation-confirms-big-techs-bias |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Washington Examiner}}</ref> In some cases, Big Tech platforms reversed actions perceived as censorship. The YouTube channel Right Wing Watch was banned for showing far-right content to expose extreme views, but the channel was restored after viewer backlash.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Justin Baragona, Adam Rawnsley |date=June 28, 2021 |title=YouTube Bans and Then Unbans Right Wing Watch, a Media Watchdog Devoted to Exposing Right-Wing Conspiracies |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/youtube-permanently-bans-right-wing-watch-a-media-watchdog-devoted-to-exposing-right-wing-conspiracies |access-date=November 11, 2021 |website=The Daily Beast}}</ref> Human Rights Watch stated that excessive content removal, especially on Facebook, meant losing evidence of human rights abuses.<ref name="Human Rights Watch 2020" />

In 2024, Republican members of the House of Representatives released a report alleging that the Biden administration privately urged social media platforms to remove posts criticizing the government. The posts in question often involved "humorous or satirical content." Although such material is constitutionally protected by the First Amendment, several employees confessed that they changed content moderation policies in response to political pressure. At one point, Democratic officials threatened Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with contempt of Congress for refusing to censor Facebook or deplatform users for posting right-wing memes. Zuckerberg stated in an internal email, "When we compromise our standards due to pressure from an administration in either direction, we'll often regret it later." The report's conclusion stated, "The Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Censorship-industrial Complex: How Top Biden White House Officials Coerced Big Tech to Censor Americans, True Information, and Critics of the Biden Administration: Interim Staff Report of the Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/urls_cited/ot2023/23-411/23-411-2.pdf |publisher=U.S. House of Representatives |page=1 |date=May 1, 2024}}{{source-attribution}}</ref>

Facebook has also been accused of censoring left-wing opinions. Facebook removed ads by Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren, who advocated breaking up Facebook.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Elizabeth |date=March 8, 2019 |title=Here's how we can break up Big Tech |url=https://medium.com/@teamwarren/heres-how-we-can-break-up-big-tech-9ad9e0da324c |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=Medium}}</ref> Warren accused the company of having the "ability to shut down a debate" and called for "a social media marketplace that isn't dominated by a single censor."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Makena |date=March 11, 2019 |title=Facebook proves Elizabeth Warren's point by deleting her ads about breaking up Facebook |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/11/18260857/facebook-senator-elizabeth-warren-campaign-ads-removal-tech-break-up-regulation |access-date=November 11, 2021 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Feiner |first=Lauren |date=March 12, 2019 |title=Elizabeth Warren says Facebook proved her point that it has too much power by removing her ads |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/12/facebook-removed-elizabeth-warrens-ads-calling-for-its-break-up.html |access-date=November 11, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref>

In 2025, Facebook, X, YouTube, and other social media platforms agreed to address online hate speech by enforcing a revised code of conduct aligned with European Commission rules. Henna Virkkunen, the EU tech commissioner, stated that Europe has zero tolerance for hate speech, whether online or offline. She approved the tech companies' commitment to enforcing the code of conduct mandated by the Digital Services Act (DSA).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yun Chee |first=Foo |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Facebook, X, YouTube to do more against online hate speech, EU says |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-x-youtube-do-more-against-online-hate-speech-eu-says-2025-01-20/ |access-date=January 21, 2025 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

=== Disinformation === Following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Facebook was criticized for failing to curb disinformation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Seetharaman |first=Deepa |date=November 15, 2018 |title=Facebook Says Criticism of Its Russia Response Is 'Unfair' |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-says-criticism-of-its-russia-response-is-unfair-1542314466 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Facebook users were targeted for political propaganda based on their online activity, which Facebook monitored and shared without consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Illing |first=Sean |date=October 16, 2017 |title=Cambridge Analytica, the shady data firm that might be a key Trump-Russia link, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/16/15657512/cambridge-analytica-facebook-alexander-nix-christopher-wylie |access-date=August 6, 2021 |website=Vox}}</ref> In 2019, a Senate Intelligence Committee report criticized Facebook and Twitter for failing to stop the spread of misinformation.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wells |first1=Georgia |last2=McMillan |first2=Robert |last3=Volz |first3=Dustin |date=October 8, 2019 |title=Senate Faults Google, Other Tech Giants for Role in Russian Election Meddling |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-report-seeks-to-curb-possible-russian-influence-in-2020-election-11570556521 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In response to criticism of their handling of misinformation and disinformation during the 2016 election, Big Tech companies cracked down on fake accounts and trolling.<ref name="Roose-NYT">{{Cite news |last1=Roose |first1=Kevin |last2=Frenkel |first2=Sheera |last3=Perlroth |first3=Nicole |date=March 29, 2020 |title=Tech Giants Prepared for 2016-Style Meddling. But the Threat Has Changed. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/technology/facebook-google-twitter-november-election.html |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=YouTube says it's getting better at taking down videos that break its rules. They still number in the millions. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/06/youtube-video-ban-metric/ |access-date=August 6, 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Tech was criticized for allowing COVID-19 misinformation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bond |first=Shannon |date=March 16, 2021 |title='Ya Basta Facebook' Says Company Must Curb Misinformation In Spanish |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/16/977613561/ya-basta-facebook-says-company-must-curb-misinformation-in-spanish |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=NPR.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/13/996570855/disinformation-dozen-test-facebooks-twitters-ability-to-curb-vaccine-hoaxes |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=NPR.org}}</ref> According to Representatives Frank Pallone, Mike Doyle, and Jan Schakowsky, "Industry self-regulation has failed. We must begin the work of changing incentives driving social media companies to allow and even promote misinformation and disinformation."<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2021 |title=E&C Committee Announces Hearing with Tech CEOs on the Misinformation and Disinformation Plaguing Online Platforms |url=https://energycommerce.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ec-committee-announces-hearing-with-tech-ceos-on-the-misinformation-and |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418231138/https://energycommerce.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ec-committee-announces-hearing-with-tech-ceos-on-the-misinformation-and |archive-date=April 18, 2022 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |website=Democrats, Energy and Commerce Committee}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 25, 2021 |title=Google, Facebook Twitter grilled in US on fake news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56523378 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=BBC News}}</ref> President Joe Biden criticized Facebook for allowing anti-vaccine activism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 19, 2021 |title=Biden softens criticism of Facebook after accusing company of 'killing people' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-softens-criticism-facebook-after-accusing-company-killing-people-n1274383 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |website=NBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Silverman |first1=Jacob |last2=Noah |first2=Timothy |last3=Noah |first3=Timothy |last4=Ford |first4=Matt |last5=Ford |first5=Matt |last6=Segers |first6=Grace |last7=Segers |first7=Grace |last8=Konczal |first8=Mike |last9=Sterling |first9=Steph |date=July 19, 2021 |title=Facebook Is Designed to Spread Covid Misinformation |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/163002/facebook-designed-spread-covid-misinformation |access-date=August 6, 2021 |magazine=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583}}</ref> Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said, "While they fail to take action, lives are being lost."<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2021 |title=Defying rules, anti-vaccine accounts thrive on social media |url=https://apnews.com/article/anti-vaccine-accounts-thrive-social-media-e796aaf1ce32d02e215d3b2021a33599 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |website=Associated Press}}</ref> In response to the criticism, Big Tech companies deleted numerous social media accounts and banned health-related false advertising. Human Rights Watch has criticized Big Tech, primarily Facebook, for allowing misinformation to spread in developing countries.<ref name="Human Rights Watch 2020">{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2020 |title=Big Tech's Heavy Hand Around the Globe |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/08/big-techs-heavy-hand-around-globe |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref>

===Privacy concerns=== {{Further information|Privacy concerns with social networking services}}

In September 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report summarizing company responses from Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snap, ByteDance, Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp to orders made by the agency pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 to provide information about user and non-user data collection (including of children and teenagers) and data use by the companies that found that the user and non-user data practices of the companies made users and non-users vulnerable to identity theft, stalking, unlawful discrimination, emotional distress and mental health issues, social stigma, and reputational harm.<ref name="NBC">{{cite news|last=Tolentino|first=Daysia|date=September 19, 2024|title=Social media companies engaged in 'vast surveillance,' FTC finds, calling status quo 'unacceptable'|publisher=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/social-media-companies-engaged-vast-surveillance-ftc-finds-calling-sta-rcna171814|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref><ref name="The Verge">{{cite news|last=Del Valle|first=Gaby|date=September 19, 2024|title=The FTC says social media companies can't be trusted to regulate themselves|website=The Verge|publisher=Vox Media|url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/19/24249073/ftc-data-retention-privacy-report-facebook-meta-youtube-reddit|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref><ref name="FTC">{{cite report|title=A Look Behind the Screens: Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services|year=2024|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|url=https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Social-Media-6b-Report-9-11-2024.pdf|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref> Based upon the report's findings, the FTC concluded that industry self-regulation had failed and recommended that Congress pass a comprehensive data privacy law.<ref name="NBC" /><ref name="The Verge" /><ref name="FTC" />

=== Environmental impact === {{excerpt|Environmental impact of Big Tech}}

=== Reuse of copyrighted content === On May 9, 2019, the Parliament of France passed a law intended to force Big Tech to pay publishers for the reuse of substantial amounts of copyrighted content (related rights). The law is aimed at implementing Article 15 of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market of the European Union.<ref name="leMonde_GAFAM" />

===Human rights===

In September 2025, the AP reported that U.S. companies have developed technology for mass surveillance, Internet censorship, and human rights abuses in China through partnerships with Chinese law enforcement, the Chinese military, and Chinese-owned defense contractors.<ref name="AP 9-9-2025a">{{cite news|last1=King|first1=Dake|last2=Grauer|first2=Yael|date=September 9, 2025|title=Takeaways from AP's investigation into how US tech companies enabled China's digital police state|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-7ddfd2a3260a541fd9ffedddb44e34f4|access-date=September 10, 2025}}</ref><ref name="AP 9-9-2025b">{{cite news|last=King|first=Dake|date=September 9, 2025|title=How the AP uncovered US big tech's role in China's digital police state|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-00bed6421ad8d2ccc6e69f104babe892|access-date=September 10, 2025}}</ref> The companies identified by the investigation stated that they were compliant with all applicable laws.<ref name="AP 9-9-2025c">{{cite news|last1=King|first1=Dake|last2=Grauer|first2=Yael|date=September 9, 2025|title=Silicon Valley enabled brutal mass detention and surveillance in China, internal documents show|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-8e000601dadb6aea230f18170ed54e88|access-date=September 10, 2025}}</ref><ref name="AP 9-9-2025d">{{cite news|last1=King|first1=Dake|last2=Grauer|first2=Yael|date=September 9, 2025|title=Detailed findings from AP investigation into how US tech firms enabled China's digital police state|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-a80904158b771a14d5a734947f28d71b|access-date=September 10, 2025}}</ref>

== Antitrust efforts == Concerns over monopolistic practices have led to antitrust investigations in Big Tech from both United States and European Union regulatory agencies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rey |first=Jason Del |date=February 6, 2020 |title=Why Congress's antitrust investigation should make Big Tech nervous |url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/2/6/21125026/big-tech-congress-antitrust-investigation-amazon-apple-google-facebook |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=PYMNTS |date=December 11, 2019 |title=DOJ To Wrap Up Probe Into Big Tech In 2020 |url=https://www.pymnts.com/antitrust/2019/doj-to-wrap-up-probe-into-facebook-google-amazon-apple-in-2020/ |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=PYMNTS.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=GmbH |first=finanzen net |title=The DOJ's latest probe erased $33 billion from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google {{!}} Markets Insider |url=http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/big-tech-s-antitrust-wipeout-33-billion-erased-from-the-value-of-amazon-apple-facebook-and-google-after-doj-announces-probe-1028379566 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127102514/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/amazon-apple-facebook-and-google-shares-doj-antitrust-2019-7 |archive-date=November 27, 2021 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=markets.businessinsider.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 14, 2017 |title=Is Margrethe Vestager championing consumers or her political career? |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2017/09/14/is-margrethe-vestager-championing-consumers-or-her-political-career |access-date=June 26, 2020 |magazine=The Economist}}</ref> These investigations have raised concerns around Big Tech on privacy, market power, freedom of speech, national security, and law enforcement.<ref>{{Citation |last=Boskin |first=Michael |title=Privacy, power and censorship: how to regulate big tech |date=April 29, 2019 |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/apr/29/big-tech-regulation-facebook-google-amazon}}</ref> In 2019, John Naughton wrote in ''The Guardian'', "It's almost impossible to function without the big five tech giants."<ref>{{cite web |last=Naughton |first=John |author-link=John Naughton |date=February 17, 2019 |title=It's almost impossible to function without the big five tech giants |url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/17/almost-impossible-to-function-without-big-five-tech-giants |access-date=April 23, 2021 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

=== United States === {{Further information|United States v. Apple (2012)|l1=''United States v. Apple'' (2012)|Epic Games v. Apple|l2=''Epic Games v. Apple''|FTC v. Microsoft|l3=''FTC v. Microsoft''|Epic Games v. Google|l4=''Epic Games v. Google''|FTC v. Amazon|l5=''FTC v. Amazon''|United States v. Apple (2024)|l6=''United States v. Apple'' (2024)}}

Under United States antitrust law, the consumer welfare standard assumes that large companies are not automatically harmful. Antitrust enforcement generally aims to prevent harm to consumers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2018 |title=Why the Consumer Welfare Standard Should Remain the Bedrock of Antitrust Policy |url=https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU05/20181212/108774/HHRG-115-JU05-20181212-SD004.pdf |website=Information Technology & Innovation Foundation}}</ref> According to some policy analysts, Big Tech innovation benefits consumers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2019 |title=Investment Heroes 2019: Boosting U.S. Growth |url=https://www.progressivepolicy.org/publications/investment-heroes-2019-boosting-u-s-growth/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621221151/https://www.progressivepolicy.org/publications/investment-heroes-2019-boosting-u-s-growth/ |archive-date=June 21, 2020 |access-date=June 12, 2020 |website=Progressive Policy}}</ref> Big Tech CEOs have consistently opposed antitrust regulation. Antitrust investigations of Big Tech began in the late 1990s, leading to the first major case against Big Tech in 2001, when the U.S. government accused Microsoft of illegally maintaining its monopoly position in the PC market.

Microsoft imposed legal and technical restrictions on PC manufacturers and users preventing them from uninstalling Internet Explorer and using Netscape or Java. The district court ruled that Microsoft's actions constituted monopolization under the Sherman Antitrust Act, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed most of the district court's judgments. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on September 6, 2001, that it would not seek to break up Microsoft, and would instead seek a lesser penalty if Microsoft agreed to share its APIs with third-party companies and appoint a three-person panel with access to Microsoft's systems, records, and source code for five years. On November 1, 2002, Judge Kollar-Kotelly accepted most of the proposed settlement, and on June 30, 2004, the U.S. appeals court unanimously approved the settlement.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=PAGE |first1=William |url=https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=facultypub |title=Software Development as an Antitrust Remedy: Lessons from the Enforcement of the Microsoft Communications Protocol Licensing Requirement |last2=CHILDERS |first2=Seldon |date=2007 |access-date=September 26, 2022}}</ref>

In the late 2010s, Big Tech was investigated by the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions. Some Democratic presidential candidates proposed breaking up Big Tech or regulating tech companies as utilities. FTC chairman Joseph Simons said, "The role of technology in the economy and in our lives grows more important every day...As I've noted in the past, it makes sense for us to closely examine technology markets to ensure consumers benefit from free and fair competition."<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 11, 2020 |title=FTC to Examine Past Acquisitions by Large Technology Companies |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/02/ftc-examine-past-acquisitions-large-technology-companies |website=Federal Trade Commission}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 26, 2019 |title=FTC's Bureau of Competition Launches Task Force to Monitor Technology Markets |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/02/ftcs-bureau-competition-launches-task-force-monitor-technology |website=Federal Trade Commission}}</ref> In 2017, Elizabeth Warren criticized Big Tech for offering free services to remain more popular than the competition.<ref name="vox">{{Citation |last=Yglesias |first=Matthew |title=The push to break up Big Tech, explained |date=May 3, 2019 |url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/3/18520703/big-tech-break-up-explained |author-link=Matt Yglesias}}</ref> The United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law investigated Big Tech in June 2020, and published a report in January 2021 concluding that Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta operated in an anticompetitive manner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cox |first=Kate |date=January 9, 2021 |title=House: Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google have 'monopoly power,' should be split |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/10/house-amazon-facebook-apple-google-have-monopoly-power-should-be-split/ |access-date=January 9, 2021 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/competition_in_digital_markets.pdf |title=Investigation of Competition in Digital Markets |date=January 2021 |publisher=United States House of Representatives}}</ref>

On June 24, 2021, the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law held hearings on proposed Big Tech regulations. Pramila Jayapal introduced HR 3825, The Ending Platform Monopolies Act, which passed the committee.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://judiciary.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4621 |title=Chairman Nadler's Statement for the markup of H.R.3825 |date=June 2021 |publisher=United States House of Representatives}}</ref> The bill proposed prohibiting platform owners from offering products and services on the platforms they own. For example, in 2010, Amazon attempted to acquire Diapers.com. When Diapers.com rejected Amazon's proposal, Amazon started selling diapers at a loss. Facing unprofitability, Diapers.com agreed to let Amazon buy the company even though Walmart was willing to pay more.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/13/18563379/amazon-predatory-pricing-antitrust-law |title=How lower pricing could make for an Antitrust case against Amazon |date=May 2019}}</ref> The committee voted that the reason for Big Tech monopolies is because of the consumer welfare standard, a legal doctrine stating that if the consumer benefits from corporate actions, those actions are generally legal. FTC chairwoman Lina Khan expressed a different view in her publication "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox."

On July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14036, "Promoting Competition in the American Economy," a sweeping array of initiatives across the executive branch. The order established an executive branch-wide policy to more thoroughly scrutinize mergers involving Big Tech companies, with focus on the acquisition of new, potentially disruptive technology from smaller companies by the larger companies. The order also instructed the FTC to establish rules related to the use of data collection by Big Tech companies for promoting their own services.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Breuninger |first1=Kevin |last2=Feiner |first2=Lauren |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Biden signs order to crack down on Big Tech, boost competition 'across the board' |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/09/biden-to-sign-executive-order-aimed-at-cracking-down-on-big-tech-business-practices.html |access-date=July 9, 2021 |website=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Kate |last2=Fung |first2=Brian |last3=Klein |first3=Betsy |date=July 9, 2021 |title=Biden signs sweeping executive order that targets Big Tech and aims to push competition in US economy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/politics/biden-big-tech-executive-order/ |access-date=July 9, 2021 |website=CNN}}</ref> In June 2024, the DOJ and FTC opened an investigation into Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI regarding their dominance in artificial intelligence.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCabe |first=David |date=June 5, 2024 |title=U.S. Clears Way for Antitrust Inquiries of Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/technology/nvidia-microsoft-openai-antitrust-doj-ftc.html |access-date=June 6, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Field |first1=Hayden |last2=Javers |first2=Eamon |date=June 6, 2024 |title=U.S. regulators to open antitrust probes into Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/06/us-regulators-to-open-antitrust-probes-into-nvidia-microsoft-and-openai.html |access-date=June 6, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref> In August 2024, District of Columbia U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google held a monopoly in online search and text advertising in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.<ref name="CNBC 8-5-2024">{{Cite news |last1=Goswami |first1=Rohan |last2=Elias |first2=Jennifer |date=August 5, 2024 |title=Google loses antitrust case over search |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/05/google-loses-antitrust-case-over-search.html |access-date=August 5, 2024 |publisher=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kruppa |first1=Miles |last2=Wolfe |first2=Jan |date=August 5, 2024 |title=Google Loses Antitrust Case Over Search-Engine Dominance |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-loses-federal-antitrust-case-27810c43 |access-date=August 5, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=News Corp}}</ref> In April 2025, Eastern Virginia U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google held a monopoly in advertising technology in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.<ref name="AP 4-17-2025">{{cite news|last=Liedtke|first=Michael|date=April 17, 2025|title=Google's digital ad network declared an illegal monopoly, joining its search engine in penalty box|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/google-illegal-monopoly-advertising-search-a1e4446c4870903ed05c03a2a03b581e|access-date=April 17, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Elias|first=Jennifer|date=April 17, 2025|title=Google hit with second antitrust blow, adding to concerns about future of ads business|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/17/google-hit-with-second-antitrust-blow-adding-to-concerns-about-ads.html|access-date=April 18, 2025}}</ref> Google issued press releases in response announcing that the company would appeal the rulings.<ref name="CNBC 8-5-2024" /><ref name="AP 4-17-2025" /> In November 2025, District of Columbia U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that Meta Platforms did not hold a monopoly in the social networking service market.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ortutay|first=Barbara|date=November 18, 2025|title=Meta prevails in historic FTC antitrust case, won't have to break off WhatsApp, Instagram|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/meta-antitrust-ftc-instagram-whatsapp-c36b941a372321e4ecd05e83e0db1678|access-date=November 18, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Vanian|first=Jonathan|date=November 18, 2025|title=Meta wins FTC antitrust trial that focused on WhatsApp, Instagram|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/18/meta-wins-ftc-antitrust-trial-that-focused-on-whatsapp-instagram.html|access-date=November 18, 2025}}</ref>

=== European Union === {{further|Microsoft Corp. v. Commission|l1=''Microsoft Corp. v. Commission''}} thumb|The European Commission, which has imposed sanctions on several of the high-tech giants In June 2020, the European Union opened two investigations into Apple. The first investigation focused on whether Apple uses market dominance to stifle competition in music and book streaming. The second investigation focused on Apple Pay. Apple limits the use of the iPhone's NFC technology by financial institutions, including banks.<ref>The Verge, June 16, 2020 [https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/16/21292651/apple-eu-antitrust-investigation-app-store-apple-pay EU Opens Apple Antitrust Investigations into App Store and Apple Pay practices]</ref><ref>Open Markets Institute, The Corner Newsletter, June 25, 2020, [https://www.openmarketsinstitute.org/publications/corner-newsletter-june-25-2020 Open Markets Examines the European Commission's Newly Announced Investigation into Potentially Anti-competitive Practices by Apple]</ref>

According to former European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager, fines are insufficient to deter anticompetitive practices.<ref name=":0" /> Vestager stated, "Fines are not doing the trick. And fines are not enough because fines are a punishment for illegal behaviour in the past. What is also in our decision is that you have to change for the future. You have to stop what you're doing."<ref name=":0">Parliament of the European Union, [https://www.europarl.europa.eu/resources/library/media/20191009RES63801/20191009RES63801.pdf Hearing of Margrethe Vestager 8 Oct. 2019] p. 28</ref>

In September 2021, the United States and European Union began negotiating a joint approach to Big Tech regulation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bose |first=Nandita |date=September 23, 2021 |title=Exclusive Big Tech targeted by U.S. and EU in draft memo ahead of tech and trade meeting |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-us-eu-look-work-more-closely-regulating-big-tech-summit-2021-09-23/ |access-date=September 29, 2021 |work=Reuters}}</ref> The European Parliament passed the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in March 2022 to restrict data collection from European users, require social media interoperability, and allow alternative app stores and payment systems for Apple and Google smartphones.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Satariano |first=Adam |date=March 24, 2022 |title=E.U. Takes Aim at Big Tech's Power With Landmark Digital Act |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/technology/eu-regulation-apple-meta-google.html |access-date=March 24, 2022 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Karissa |date=March 24, 2022 |title=European Union reaches provisional agreement on antitrust law targeting tech giants |url=https://www.engadget.com/europe-digital-markets-act-005742387.html |access-date=March 24, 2022 |website=Engadget}}</ref> The EU also passed the Digital Services Act (DSA) in April 2022, which requires tech companies to take down hate speech and child sexual abuse, and ban advertising targeting gender, race, religion, and childhood.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Browne |first=Ryan |date=April 22, 2022 |title=EU agrees on landmark law aimed at forcing Big Tech firms to tackle illegal content |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/22/digital-services-act-eu-agrees-new-rules-for-tackling-illegal-content.html |access-date=April 22, 2022 |website=CNBC}}</ref> Both the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act were enacted by the EU in July 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chee |first=Foo Yun |date=July 5, 2022 |title=EU lawmakers pass landmark tech rules, but enforcement a worry |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-lawmakers-pass-landmark-tech-rules-enforcement-worry-2022-07-05/ |access-date=July 5, 2022 |work=Reuters}}</ref> The EU defined Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft as "gatekeepers" under the DMA in September 2023, and required them to comply by March 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holt |first=Kris |date=September 7, 2023 |title=EU confirms the six tech giants subject to its strict new competition laws |url=https://www.engadget.com/eu-confirms-the-six-tech-giants-subject-to-its-strict-new-competition-laws-161917822.html |work=Engadget}}</ref> On June 24, 2024, the European Union charged Apple with breaching the Digital Markets Act, potentially resulting in a significant fine.<ref name=":1" /> On April 23, 2025, the Commission found Apple and Meta in breach of the Digital Markets act, and fined Apple and Meta with €500 million and €200 million respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commission finds Apple and Meta in breach of the Digital Markets Act - Digital Markets Act (DMA) |url=https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/commission-finds-apple-and-meta-breach-digital-markets-act-2025-04-23_en |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> The EU is also investigating Apple's new terms and fees for app developers, criticizing the company's restrictions and handling of AI-powered features in the EU.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Yun Chee |first=Foo |date=June 24, 2024 |title=Apple charged with breaching EU tech rules, faces another probe |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/apples-app-store-rules-breach-eu-tech-rules-eu-regulators-say-2024-06-24/ |access-date=June 24, 2024 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

== Alternatives == {{Main|Alt-tech|Fediverse|Web3|Dark web}}

Alt-tech is a collection of social networking services and Internet service providers popular among the alt-right, far-right, and others who espouse extremism or fringe theories, typically because they employ looser content moderation than mainstream platforms.<ref name="Freelon-Science">{{Cite journal |last1=Freelon |first1=Deen |last2=Marwick |first2=Alice |author-link2=Alice Marwick |last3=Kreiss |first3=Daniel |date=September 4, 2020 |title=False equivalencies: Online activism from left to right |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb2428 |url-status=live |journal=Science |volume=369 |issue=6508 |pages=1197–1201 |bibcode=2020Sci...369.1197F |doi=10.1126/science.abb2428 |issn=0036-8075 |pmid=32883863 |s2cid=221471947 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904084524/https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6508/1197 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |access-date=September 5, 2020}} ([http://dfreelon.org/publications/2020_False_equivalencies_Online_activism_from_left_to_right.pdf freely available version])</ref><ref name="Bellingcat-20212">{{Cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Frank |last2=Pym |first2=Ambrose |date=February 24, 2021 |title=The Websites Sustaining Britain's Far-Right Influencers |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224170204/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/ |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |access-date=February 25, 2021 |website=Bellingcat}}</ref><ref name="Roose-NYT" /> The term "alt-tech" is a portmanteau of "alt-right" and "Big Tech."

The fediverse is a collection of federated social networking services that can communicate with each other even if they are controlled independently.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tech Dispatch: Federated Social Media Platforms |url=https://www.edps.europa.eu/system/files/2022-07/22-07-26_techdispatch-1-2022-federated-social-media-platforms_en.pdf |website=European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)}}</ref> Users of different websites can send and receive status updates and multimedia files across the network. The term "fediverse" is a portmanteau of "federation" and "universe."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of fediverse |url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/fediverse |access-date=April 3, 2024 |website=PCMAG}}</ref>

Web3 (also known as Web 3.0)<ref name="web3">{{Cite magazine |last=Edelman |first=Gilad |title=What Is Web3, Anyway? |url=https://www.wired.com/story/web3-gavin-wood-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210233332/https://www.wired.com/story/web3-gavin-wood-interview/ |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |access-date=December 3, 2021 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name="crunch">{{Cite web |last=Alford |first=Harry |date=September 16, 2021 |title=Crypto's networked collaboration will drive Web 3.0 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/16/cryptos-networked-collaboration-will-drive-web-3-0/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916162324/https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/16/cryptos-networked-collaboration-will-drive-web-3-0/ |archive-date=2021-09-16 |access-date=November 9, 2021 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref><ref name="rtinsights">{{Cite web |last=Khoshafian |first=Setrag |date=March 12, 2021 |title=Can the Real Web 3.0 Please Stand Up? |url=https://www.rtinsights.com/can-the-real-web-3-0-please-stand-up/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312133316/https://www.rtinsights.com/can-the-real-web-3-0-please-stand-up/ |archive-date=March 12, 2021 |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=RTInsights}}</ref> is an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics.<ref name="web3-ip-law">Fenwick, Mark and Jurcys, Paulius, The Contested Meaning of Web3 and Why it Matters for (IP) Lawyers (January 27, 2022). Available at SSRN: {{SSRN|4017790}} or <nowiki>http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4017790</nowiki></ref> Some technologists and journalists have contrasted it with Web 2.0, in which they claim user-generated content is controlled by a small group of companies referred to as Big Tech.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mak |first=Aaron |date=November 9, 2021 |title=What Is Web3 and Why Are All the Crypto People Suddenly Talking About It? |url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/11/web3-explained-crypto-nfts-bored-apes.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109110921/https://slate.com/technology/2021/11/web3-explained-crypto-nfts-bored-apes.html |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=Slate}}</ref>

The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets (overlay networks) that use the Internet, but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.<ref name="npr.org">{{Cite news |date=25 May 2014 |title=Going Dark: The Internet Behind The Internet |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/05/25/315821415/going-dark-the-internet-behind-the-internet |url-status=live |access-date=29 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527071850/http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/05/25/315821415/going-dark-the-internet-behind-the-internet |archive-date=27 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Greenberg_2014">{{Cite magazine |last=Greenberg |first=Andy |date=19 November 2014 |title=Hacker Lexicon: What Is the Dark Web? |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/11/hacker-lexicon-whats-dark-web/ |url-status=live |access-date=6 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607062159/http://www.wired.com/2014/11/hacker-lexicon-whats-dark-web/ |archive-date=7 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-03-27 |title=Clearing Up Confusion – Deep Web vs. Dark Web |url=http://www.brightplanet.com/2014/03/clearing-confusion-deep-web-vs-dark-web/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516160539/http://www.brightplanet.com/2014/03/clearing-confusion-deep-web-vs-dark-web/ |archive-date=2015-05-16 |website=BrightPlanet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Egan |first=Matt |date=12 January 2015 |title=What is the dark web? How to access the dark website – How to turn out the lights and access the dark web (and why you might want to) |url=http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/what-is-dark-web-how-access-dark-web-3593569/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619001447/http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/what-is-dark-web-how-access-dark-web-3593569/ |archive-date=19 June 2015}}</ref> Through the dark web, private computer networks can communicate and conduct business anonymously without divulging identifying information, such as a user's location.<ref name="Ghappour 1733">{{Cite journal |last=Ghappour |first=Ahmed |date=2017-09-01 |title=Data Collection and the Regulatory State |url=https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/255 |journal=Connecticut Law Review |volume=49 |issue=5 |pages=1733 |access-date=2020-09-06 |archive-date=2021-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501094925/https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/255/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ghappour 1075">{{Cite journal |last=Ghappour |first=Ahmed |date=2017-04-01 |title=Searching Places Unknown: Law Enforcement Jurisdiction on the Dark Web |url=https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/204 |journal=Stanford Law Review |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=1075 |access-date=2020-09-06 |archive-date=2021-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420104454/https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/204/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the web not indexed by web search engines, although sometimes the term ''deep web'' is mistakenly used to refer specifically to the dark web.<ref name="Solomon_2015">{{Cite news |last=Solomon |first=Jane |date=6 May 2015 |title=The Deep Web vs. The Dark Web: Do You Know The Difference? |url=http://blog.dictionary.com/dark-web/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 May 2015 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150509023641/http://blog.dictionary.com/dark-web/ |archive-date=9 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Greenberg_2014" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The dark web Revealed. |url=https://www.popsci.com/dark-web-revealed/ |website=Popular Science |pages=20–21 |access-date=2021-04-15 |archive-date=2015-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318195338/https://www.popsci.com/dark-web-revealed/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Little Tech === Some critics have contrasted Big Tech with startup culture, which they semi-humorously refer to as Little Tech. Little Tech has attracted attention for technical innovation and encouraging digital wellbeing. Advocates like Andreessen Horowitz argue that Little Tech is threatened by anticompetitive policies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wagner |first=Alex |date=2025-05-21 |title=The Strategic Framing of "Little Tech": How Narratives Shape Policy Perception |url=https://trilligent.com/the-strategic-framing-of-little-tech-how-narratives-shape-policy-perception/ |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Trilligent |language=en-US}}</ref> Little Tech advocates emphasize the importance of investing in startup companies to support technological progress. However, critics differ on the impact of Little Tech and the need for governments to support startup companies. Some critics argue that the Little Tech agenda is a wish list for venture capitalists that seeks preferential treatment for risky investments rather than accelerating innovation. Despite these criticisms, Little Tech companies have demonstrated the ability to solve problems that might be too specific for Big Tech companies to be interested in. Little Tech companies often develop custom solutions for local governments, enhancing public services and promoting digital transformation. Some Little Tech initiatives aim to educate and empower users, such as by helping teenagers understand technology. Organizations like the American Innovators Network support the Little Tech agenda by offering workshops and consultations.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 2, 2025 |title=Exclusive: "Little Tech" launches new policy coalition |url=https://www.axios.com/pro/tech-policy/2025/04/02/little-tech-launches-new-policy-coalition |website=Axios}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 3, 2025 |title=VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech |url=https://restofworld.org/2025/employee-surveillance-software-vc-funding/ |website=Restofworld}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=November 2025}}

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == <references> <ref name="gang4_schmidt">{{Cite web |last=Schonfeld |first=Erick |date=May 31, 2011 |title=Eric Schmidt's Gang Of Four: Google, Apple, Amazon, And Facebook |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/31/schmidt-gang-four-google-apple-amazon-facebook/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530080903/https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/31/schmidt-gang-four-google-apple-amazon-facebook/ |archive-date=May 30, 2019 |access-date=May 25, 2019 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref>

<ref name="cnbc_avoid_taxes">{{Cite web |last=Pisani |first=Bob |date=October 3, 2017 |title=We are letting Amazon and Apple 'avoid taxes, invade privacy, and destroy jobs,' says NYU professor |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/02/scott-galloway-the-four-amazon-apple-google-facebook.html |website=CNBC}}</ref>

<ref name="Simon_redefined">{{Cite book |last=Simon |first=Phil |url=https://www.philsimon.com/books/the-age-of-the-platform |title=The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business |date=October 22, 2011 |publisher=Motion Publishing |isbn=978-0-9829302-5-0 |edition=1 |pages=312}}</ref>

<ref name="hidden_DNA">{{Cite book |last=Galloway |first=Scott |title=The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google |publisher=Random House |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4735-4210-5}}</ref>

<ref name="leMonde_GAFAM">{{Cite news |last=Bougon |first=François |date=May 21, 2019 |title=Face aux Gafam, les députés adoptent le droit voisin |trans-title=Members of Parliament pass a related rights law against GAFAM |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2019/05/10/face-aux-gafam-les-deputes-adoptent-le-droit-voisin_5460399_3234.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525235122/https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2019/05/10/face-aux-gafam-les-deputes-adoptent-le-droit-voisin_5460399_3234.html |archive-date=May 25, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2019 |publisher=Le Monde |language=fr}}</ref>

<ref name="Smyrnaios_GAFAM">{{Cite journal |last=Smyrnaios |first=Nikos |year=2016 |title=L'effet GAFAM : stratégies et logiques de l'oligopole de l'internet |trans-title=The GAFAM effect: Strategies and logics of the internet oligopoly |url=https://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=COMLA_188_0061# |url-status=live |journal=Communication et Langages |language=fr |publisher=NecPlus |volume=2016 |issue=188 |pages=61–83 |doi=10.4074/S0336150016012047 |issn=0003-5033 |url-access= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713132708/https://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=COMLA_188_0061 |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |access-date=July 13, 2019}}</ref> </references>

===Further reading=== * {{cite report|last=Sykes|first=Jay B.|date=November 21, 2023|title=Antitrust Reform and Big Tech Firms|publisher=Congressional Research Service|url=https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46875|access-date=January 6, 2026}}

== External links == {{Wikiquote}} * [https://www.ted.com/talks/scott_galloway_how_amazon_apple_facebook_and_google_manipulate_our_emotions How Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google manipulate our emotions] – Scott Galloway at TED * {{Cite episode |title=United States of Secrets (Part Two): Privacy Lost |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/united-states-of-secrets/ |series=Frontline |series-link=Frontline (American TV program) |network=PBS |station=WGBH |date=May 20, 2014 |season=32 |number=10 |access-date=April 8, 2025}} *{{cite episode|title=The Facebook Dilemma|series=Frontline|network=PBS|station=WGBH|date=October 29–30, 2018|season=37|number=4–5|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/facebook-dilemma/|access-date=November 10, 2022}} * {{Cite episode |title=In the Age of AI |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/in-the-age-of-ai/ |series=Frontline |network=PBS |station=WGBH |date=November 5, 2019 |season=38 |number=6 |access-date=June 4, 2023}} * {{cite episode |title=Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos |series=Frontline |network=PBS |station=WGBH |date=February 18, 2020 |season=38 |number=13 |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/amazon-empire/ |access-date=November 21, 2022}} * {{Cite episode |date=October 10, 2023 |title=Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/elon-musks-twitter-takeover/ |access-date=April 27, 2025 |series=Frontline |season=42 |number=17|network=PBS|station=WGBH}}

Category:Anti-corporate activism Category:Technology in society Category:Technology companies of the United States Category:2010s neologisms