These were the 5 biggest companies in 1984 and here are the 5 biggest companies now

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with saying, “Change is the only constant in life.” Although it lived thousands of years ago, this quote is still relevant today, even in the business world.

In just the past 40 years, we’ve seen the world of business and investing completely transform, leading to a changing of the guard for the world’s largest publicly traded companies (by revenue). Here’s a look at what’s changed over the past four decades.

The biggest companies since 1984

Source: Fortune 500. Revenues rounded to the nearest 10 million.

The only thing that stands out in that period was the dominance of oil and vehicles. IBM was the biggest tech company, but besides that, oil and vehicles were the top dogs in town.

Today’s biggest companies

Source: Fortune 500. Revenues rounded to the nearest 10 million.

The most notable aspect of today’s biggest companies is the rise of retail and technology (with Amazon at the sweet spot of the two). Oil continues to be heavily impacted by the globe’s dependence, but consumers have shown they appreciate the one-stop shop nature of companies like Walmart and Amazon.

Walmart has a stronghold on the brick-and-mortar side, and Amazon has revolutionized e-commerce. Will these companies lead the pact 40 years from now? Only time will tell. One thing remains certain, however: change is almost inevitable.

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John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a board member of The Motley Fool. Stefon Walters has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors and International Business Machines and recommends the following options: Long January 2025 $25 calls on General Motors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

These were the 5 biggest companies in 1984, and here are the 5 biggest companies now was originally published by The Motley Fool