• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

3

Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
TechFortune Brainstorm

The pandemic reshaped the Fortune 500 by propelling tech companies

Fortune Editors
By
Fortune Editors
Fortune Editors
Down Arrow Button Icon
Fortune Editors
By
Fortune Editors
Fortune Editors
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 4, 2021, 4:45 PM ET
Video Poster
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

When it comes to legendary moments in Fortune‘s history, the birth of the Fortune 500 ranks high. First published in 1955, the list was dominated by manufacturers, car companies, and oil giants. Sixty-seven years later, technology companies sit in three of the top 10 spots: Amazon at No. 2, Apple at No. 3, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, at No. 9.

The 47 tech sector companies on the Fortune 500, says Fortune list editor Scott DeCarlo, make almost as much revenue as the 94 financial sector companies on the list. Tech is also the third-leading employer of all sectors represented.

DeCarlo joins Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe, the hosts of Fortune Brainstorm, a podcast that explores how technology is reshaping our world, to discuss what it takes for a company to make the Fortune 500 and the impact of tech companies on the 2021 list.

Also on the show is Carvana CEO and cofounder Ernest Garcia III. Though the company is classified as a retailer on the list, it’s Carvana’s adoption of consumer-facing technology that helped fuel the company’s growth during the COVID-19 pandemic and its first showing on the list. Carvana sits at No. 483 on the 2021 ranking.

The company is in “just shy” of 300 markets around the U.S., Garcia says. He says during the first quarter of the pandemic, Carvana “grew revenues by over 100%…because of these shifts in demand.”

Garcia adds that the pandemic “created this moment in time where I think all of a sudden people tried things they might not have otherwise tried. The hurdle of the fear of change was kind of lowered because change was required.”

Rounding out the show is Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Fortune 500 No. 137, Salesforce. The company brought in more than $21 billion in revenue in 2020. Benioff discussed the reasons Salesforce revenues grew during the pandemic, his vision for the future of entrepreneurship, and the return of employees to the workplace, including his own company’s 60,000 employees around the world.

Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

About the Author
Fortune Editors
By Fortune Editors
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Friday, July 10, 2026.
Big TechMeta
Meta stock drops 10% as free cash flow gets crushed—and Zuckerberg hints at launching cloud business with few details
By Eva RoytburgJuly 29, 2026
5 hours ago
Man in glasses gesturing
Big TechMicrosoft
Microsoft’s cloud just hit a new milestone—Azure crosses $100 billion in annual revenue
By Amanda GerutJuly 29, 2026
8 hours ago
Southeast Asia is ‘hungry for innovation’ and eager to leapfrog, says SAP’s new APAC president Verena Siow
AISAP
Southeast Asia is ‘hungry for innovation’ and eager to leapfrog, says SAP’s new APAC president Verena Siow
By Angelica AngJuly 29, 2026
8 hours ago
Inside China’s two-speed economy: Why goods consumption is slumping even as exports and services boom
EconomyAsia Agenda
Inside China’s two-speed economy: Why goods consumption is slumping even as exports and services boom
By Nicholas GordonJuly 29, 2026
9 hours ago
Trump, Sam Altman, and Demis Hassibis at the G7.
AIOpenAI
More than 1,200 AI workers across Anthropic, DeepMind, OpenAI, and Meta are asking for Washington’s help building an AI slowdown plan
By Beatrice NolanJuly 29, 2026
9 hours ago
sam altman looks down while reporters ask questions
CybersecurityOpenAI
Hugging Face drops in-depth hack report, while OpenAI gives us 7 bullets. Here’s what we know now, and what remains a mystery
By Emily ForliniJuly 29, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
14 hours ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
15 hours ago
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
C-Suite
Jamie Dimon says his stockbroker father taught him to invest with a 'brutally hard' childhood game
By Sarah GlodekJuly 29, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 29, 2026
21 hours ago
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
Law
eBay will pay nearly $50 million after employees reportedly sent a Massachusetts couple a bloody pig mask, cockroaches and death threats
By The Associated Press and Leah WillinghamJuly 28, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.