What the Fortune 500 Would Look Like as a Microbiome

Biologists tend to see the world in “omes”—genomes that capture our internal universes of genes, microbiomes that reveal the synergistic flora in our guts, and more. With that sense of ecosystems in mind, here is America’s “corporatome.” The $13.7 trillion in revenue produced by the Fortune 500 equals two-thirds of U.S. GDP. And within this community of commerce, the 42 technology companies (atop, in kelly green) are less overwhelming than they might seem, accounting for less combined revenue ($1.4 trillion) than the energy, retailing, health care, and financial sectors, respectively. Profits, of course, are another matter. There, tech is indeed gargantuan, accounting for a fifth of all the 500’s profits.

A version of this article appears in the June 2019 issue of Fortune with the headline “The Biome of Business.”