A lot has changed in 20 years, including the biggest drivers of U.S. economic activity. For example, to kick off 2006, industrial bellwether General Electric and energy stalwart ExxonMobil were the two largest publicly traded companies in the country in terms of market cap, valued at $370 billion and $349 billion, respectively. Things are much different in 2026, and technology companies -- particularly those at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) -- top the charts. In fact, of the world's 10 most valuable companies (as of this writing), nine are arguably leaders in the field of AI.
Only four companies have earned membership in the ultra-exclusive $3 trillion club, and each is a powerhouse in its respective field. AI chipmaker Nvidia heads the list at $4.5 trillion (as of this writing), while search leader Alphabet recently vaulted into the No. 2 position at $3.9 trillion. iPhone maker Apple slipped to No. 3 with $3.8 trillion, while software and cloud provider Microsoft comes in at No. 4 with $3.5 trillion.
Yet, their positions on the list will likely change over the next several years, and a new batch of triple trillionaires will likely join the fold. I predict that Meta Platforms (META +1.15%) and Broadcom (AVGO +3.79%) -- each worth roughly $1.6 trillion -- will make the grade, joining the $3 trillion club by the end of 2027.
Image source: Getty Images.
Meta's time to shine
Meta Platforms is no stranger to AI and has long used earlier versions of the technology to find relevant content for users of its social media platforms. The company also has a long history of deploying sophisticated algorithms to hone its targeted advertising. Meta has taken this to the next level thanks to the dawn of generative AI, as its Llama AI models have been cited as among the industry leaders.
Late last year, Meta updated investors on the progress of its recommendation engine, which was "delivering higher quality and more relevant content." This boosted engagement as users spent 5% more time on Facebook and 10% more on Threads in the third quarter. There's a direct link between higher engagement and advertising revenue, as evidenced by the average price per ad, which increased 10%.
This success, in turn, is driving better financial results. In Q3, Meta delivered revenue that climbed 26% year over year to $51.2 billion, driving adjusted earnings per share (EPS) up 20% to $7.25.
NASDAQ: META
Key Data Points
Meta has a market cap of roughly $1.6 trillion (as of this writing), so it will take a stock price increase of roughly 86% to thrust its value to $3 trillion. Meta is expected to generate revenue of more than $199 billion in 2025, according to Wall Street, resulting in a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 8. Assuming its P/S remains constant, it would take revenue of roughly $370 billion to support a $3 trillion market cap.
Furthermore, Wall Street is currently forecasting revenue growth for Meta of more than 16% annually over the coming five years. If the company can achieve that benchmark, it could surpass a $3 trillion market cap as soon as 2029. However, Meta is planning steep cuts to its metaverse spending and redirecting billions of dollars to AI funding. I believe the stock will be rewarded with a higher multiple and valuation expansion, which could propel it into the $3 trillion club years sooner.
The case for Broadcom
Broadcom holds a key place in the AI ecosystem. Not only does the company supply a wide variety of networking supplies and accessories critical to data center operations, but its semiconductors are also playing a pivotal role in the future of AI infrastructure.
Its application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are specially designed processors that can be customized for specific use cases. As such, they are being welcomed as an energy-efficient alternative to Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs), which are currently the gold standard in large-scale AI applications.
In the fourth quarter, Broadcom reported record revenue that grew 28% year over year to $18 billion, pushing its adjusted EPS to $1.95, an increase of 37%. The company also revealed its backlog climbed to a record $162 billion, driven by accelerating demand for AI. This suggests that future demand will remain robust.
NASDAQ: AVGO
Key Data Points
Broadcom has a market cap of $1.57 trillion (as of this writing), so it would require gains of 91% to push its market cap above $3 trillion. The company is expected to generate revenue of $96.3 billion in 2026, according to Wall Street, resulting in a P/S ratio of roughly 16. If its P/S remains constant, Broadcom will need to generate revenue of roughly $184 billion annually to support a $3 trillion market cap.
Analysts are bullish, forecasting revenue growth of roughly 30% annually over the coming five years. If the company meets that benchmark, it could generate $184 billion in revenue and achieve a $3 trillion market cap as early as 2029. However, since most of Wall Street's growth estimate is front-loaded over the next couple of years, I'm betting Broadcom makes the grade a bit sooner.
