Billion-dollar companies have been part of the U.S. economy for more than a century. Trillion-dollar companies, however, are a more recent development. Although Apple (AAPL +0.09%) is often considered to be the first publicly traded company to reach $1 trillion in market capitalization, it's neither the first nor the last to reach a four-comma valuation. Read on to learn more about the trillion-dollar club's history, as well as its past, present, and potential future members.

Waiting in line
Tesla (TSLA +2.70%) gained admittance to the trillion-dollar club in 2021, but it didn't last long. The company's market cap had plunged to around $700 billion by the summer of 2024. Still, it's not too farfetched to think that Tesla could regain admittance to the club.
Here are four other publicly traded companies waiting in line in the summer of 2024 that could enter, as well:
- Eli Lilly: (LLY +1.80%). The pharmaceutical company's stock has been buoyed by the popularity of its popular weight management and diabetes drugs, Zepbound and Mounjaro. It boasted a market cap of $885 billion.
- Broadcom: (AVGO -11.43%). Like Nvidia, semiconductor and software giant Broadcom has benefitted from the AI boom. Its market capitalization had reached $734 billion by the summer of 2024.
- Berkshire Hathaway: (BRK.A +0.85%)(BRK.B +0.74%). Warren Buffett's Omaha-based holding company has a lengthy history of rewarding shareholders and doesn't seem poised to disappoint them. With a $944 billion market cap in the summer of 2024, hitting four commas is likely only a matter of time.
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing: (TSM -4.26%). Another beneficiary of the AI boom, TSMC produces an estimated 90% of advanced chips for some of the biggest names in tech. By late summer 2024, its market cap had reached $882 billion.



















