A recent article in Atlantic Monthly pointed out that Apple, the technology company, not the fruit, is now, in economic terms, the size of a small country. The world’s largest company with a market capitalization of $700 billion, it is now issuing bonds in Switzerland. As noted in the article: “Apple has the financial influence of a not-even-that-small country at this point. The company’s $178 billion—$178 billion!—puts it on par with the gross domestic product of a country like New Zealand, surpassing the GDPs of Vietnam, Morocco, and Ecuador, according to the most recent World Bank data. If Apple were a country, it’d be the 55th richest country in the world.”
Microsoft, at its peak in 1999, was slightly larger than Apple is today, in current dollars, but now has roughly half the market capitalization. Yet, neither of these modern giants can compare with the Dutch East India Company, the VOC, founded in 1602.
At its height, it was estimated to be worth more than $7 trillion in 2015 dollars or roughly ten times that of Apple. By 1669, the VOC was the richest private company the world had ever seen, with over 150 merchant ships, 40 warships, 50,000 employees, and a private army of 10,000 soldiers. During the 17th century, the Dutch had more ships than England, France, Germany, Portugal, Scotland, and Spain combined.
Go a little deaper.
The Brits got a foothold on a small island in Indonesia, some spice trade business.
Anyway, the VOC went down hill after that.
Yes, it is a long story, read it about a month ago or so, but retain very little of what I read, more an interesting sidenote in history.