After being dethroned as the world's most valuable company months ago by NVIDIA, Apple has returned to the top with a substantial stock market lead of over $1 trillion, following controversy around NVIDIA's CEO that led to his resignation.
NVIDIA announced its CEO transition ahead of the stock market opening on Thursday, following a difficult week for the company's leadership. Upon opening at 14:30 GMT, NVIDIA shares were down more than 13% according to the BBC's live coverage.
The numbers on Google show NVIDIA is down about 12.5% in the past year to date. The current share price is about $165 per share, down from a closing high of about $238 just last month on 5 October.
Here are the current market caps of the four biggest technology companies, as of 15:30 GMT on 12 November 2026:
- Apple: $5.20 trillion
- NVIDIA: $3.97 trillion
- Microsoft: $3.91 trillion
- Google $3.62 trillion
This is a major loss for NVIDIA, which earlier this year was worth over $5 trillion. This makes Apple the only company currently valued over the five trillion dollar mark.
NVIDIA Faces an Uncertain Future
The sudden change of leadership at NVIDIA is a layer of uncertainty for investors. The company is now under the leadership of an interim CEO, as the board looks for a permanent successor.
This is a major change for a company which has had the same CEO since founding in 1993, all whilst trying to maintain its position at the centre of the AI boom.
Final Thoughts
Apple is in a strong position for a company that has also recently lost its long-term CEO Tim Cook, though on much better terms. The tech giant is often seen as a safe bet on the market, as there is always demand for Apple hardware, including their iPhones, AirPods and more recently, Macs.
While NVIDIA could recover in the coming months, it is a significant sight to see a tech company lose value so quickly, allowing another to take such a substantial lead.
