This article needs to be updated. (January 2019) |
The Big Four is a name used to describe the four multinational technology companies Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple. The term was coined by Eric Schmidt,[1] Phil Simon, and Scott Galloway as driving a large amount of growth in technology.[2] The Big Four are sometimes referred to as GAFA, an acronym for Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple.[3] The term Big Five is sometimes used to include Microsoft, another major technology company.[4]
Etymology
The term refers to companies driving large societal change, rather than just the largest tech companies. Schmidt, Simon, and Galloway consider some large companies such as IBM and Microsoft to be driving less change than the Big Four.[5][6]
See also
References
- ^ "Eric Schmidt's Gang Of Four: Google, Apple, Amazon, And Facebook – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com.
- ^ Pisani, Bob (3 October 2017). "We are letting Amazon and Apple 'avoid taxes, invade privacy, and destroy jobs,' says NYU professor". CNBC.
- ^ "GAFA Approach to Digital Banking Transformation - Accenture". www.accenture.com.
- ^ Sen, Conor (2017-11-15). "The 'Big Five' Could Destroy the Tech Ecosystem". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
- ^ Simon, Phil (October 22, 2011). The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business (1 ed.). Motion Publishing. p. 312. ISBN 9780982930250.
- ^ Galloway. The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. ISBN 0525501223.