As far as companies go, Apple is the gold standard, with an innovative environment that nurtures its employees, high tech products that engage consumers, and financial returns that satisfy its investors. Today, it has surpassed all of these accomplishments by being the first American company to be valued at over one trillion dollars.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in an email sent to Apple Employees that, “While we have much to be proud of in this achievement, it’s not the most important measure of our success.” Cook continues by pointing out that the success of Apple stems from its innovation and commitment of its employees to work together towards their accomplishments.
He then concluded the email with a nod to Apple creator Steve Jobs, “Just as Steve always did in moments like this, we should all look forward to Apple’s bright future and the great work we’ll do together.” This value reflects Apple’s 2018 value increase of over 20%, a number that is unheard of in companies of its age. Showing that as long as Apple continues to work tirelessly to innovate and create, consumers will continue to invest their money into the company.
Apple is not the first publicly traded company to surpass this momentous benchmark. In 2007, PetroChina briefly reached this amount before a decade of value decrease that has brought the current value down to $205 Billion as of 2018 (according to the New York Stock Exchange).
Will the future bring the same fate to Apple, investors and market experts are hopeful. In fact, most predict that the stock will continue to decrease and reach values as high as $275 per share (which would bring the value up to $1.3 billion). It is unclear what is next for Apple, and only time will be able to tell what the future will be.