AI success pushed Microsoft to its highest-ever market value - where does it go from here?

Best stock market games
(Image credit: Shutterstock / G-Stock Studio)

In a historical achievement, Microsoft’s stock market value surpassed the $3 trillion mark, making it only the second company to ever reach that level.

The news saw Microsoft retain its position as the world’s second most valuable company, trailing very closely behind Apple.

The two rival companies have been engaged in a neck-and-neck battle for supremacy in the market since the start of the year, and for a short period, Microsoft surpassed Apple, making it the most valuable in the world.

Will Microsoft become the world’s most valuable company?

Microsoft’s shares hit a record high of $405.63 on January 24, marking a 1.7% increase and enabling it to become the world’s most valuable company at over $3 trillion. By the end of the day, shares dropped to $402.56, leaving it with a valuation of $2.99 trillion.

The company’s huge success has been largely put down to its heavy investments in artificial intelligence, including its decision to back ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The investment positions Microsoft as a front-runner in the competitive and emerging landscape of AI, putting it ahead of rivals like Amazon and Google, even giving it a chance of surpassing Apple’s position as the world’s most valuable company more permanently.

Using OpenAI’s technology, Microsoft has been injecting generative AI into most of its core products, including a new search experience in Bing and the Copilot-branded worker aids within its 365 suite.

On the other side of the fence, speculation has it that Apple could be facing struggles as iPhone demand plummets in China, leading it to announce rare discounts on its popular smartphone.

Looking ahead, Microsoft will file its second-quarter results later this month, and more than 90% of the analysts being tracked by Bloomberg (via Yahoo Finance) recommend buying shares in the company.

Only time will tell whether Microsoft can solidify a position of the world’s most valuable company more permanently, but current projections make that an extremely plausible proposition.

More from TechRadar Pro

TOPICS
Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

Read more
Microsoft Copilot on a laptop.
Microsoft reveals massive financial growth once again, cloud and AI lead the way
Ai tech, businessman show virtual graphic Global Internet connect Chatgpt Chat with AI, Artificial Intelligence.
Apple is the biggest winner of DeepSeek’s new AI breakthrough
Microsoft UK CEO Darren Hardman AI Tour London 2025
Microsoft - UK can help drive the global AI future, but only with the proper buy-in
Microsoft
Microsoft reveals surprise plan to spend $80bn on AI data centers
Walmart PLus
Amazon just overtook Walmart in revenue for the first time
Microchip on a motherboard with Flag of China and USA. Concept for the battle of global microchips production.
Chinese cloud giants bought more of Nvidia's flagship AI chips than anybody else - except Microsoft
Latest in Pro
cybersecurity
What's the right type of web hosting for me?
Security padlock and circuit board to protect data
Trust in digital services around the world sees a massive drop as security worries continue
Hacker silhouette working on a laptop with North Korean flag on the background
North Korea unveils new military unit targeting AI attacks
An image of network security icons for a network encircling a digital blue earth.
US government warns agencies to make sure their backups are safe from NAKIVO security issue
Laptop computer displaying logo of WordPress, a free and open-source content management system (CMS)
This top WordPress plugin could be hiding a worrying security flaw, so be on your guard
construction
Building in the digital age: why construction’s future depends on scaling jobsite intelligence
Latest in News
Google Pixel 9
The Google Pixel 10 just showed up in Android code – and may come with a useful speed boost
L-mount alliance
Sirui joins L-Mount Alliance to deliver its superb budget lenses for Leica, DJI, Sigma and Panasonic cameras
Security padlock and circuit board to protect data
Trust in digital services around the world sees a massive drop as security worries continue
A Lego Pikachu tail next to a Pebble OS watch and a screenshot of Assassin's Creed Shadow
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from LG's excellent new OLED TV to our Assassin's Creed Shadow review
Samuel and Romy standing very close together in A24's Babygirl movie
Everything new on Max in April 2025, including A24's Babygirl and The Last of Us season 2
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
AMD’s secret weapon against Nvidia seems to be stock – way more RX 9070 GPUs are rumored to be hitting shelves than RTX 5000 models