In 2024, Alphabet spent 49.32 billion U.S. dollars on research and development across its many properties. This is an increase of over 3.8 billion U.S. dollars compared to the company's R&D expenses in the previous year.

Microsoft’s research and development expenditure amounted to around 29 billion U.S. dollars in its 2024 fiscal year, a record high. Microsoft ranks second among software and computer service companies worldwide in terms of R&D spend, behind only Google’s parent company Alphabet. Microsoft Corporation One of the most successful tech companies worldwide, Microsoft, together with its most famous product, the Windows operating system, has long been a household name. The company’s fiscal year 2021 not only witnessed a record spending for R&D, but also a record high in terms of annual sales – Microsoft brought in 168.08 billion U.S. dollars in net sales that year, proving that their businesses are stronger than ever, after years of continued success. Microsoft's Diverse businesses Some of Microsoft’s major business ventures include the above-mentioned Windows operating system, software packages such as Microsoft Office, various lines of consumer electronics, as well as cloud computing offerings. Microsoft’s productivity and business processes segment, which include products such as Office 365 and LinkedIn, brought in around 53.9 billion U.S. dollars in the 2021 fiscal year.

Apple Inc. spent a record 31.4 billion U.S. dollars on research and development in its 2024 fiscal year, increasing by about 1.5 billion from its 2023 total. The company’s massive research and development budget over the years has led to the release of various famous products including the iPhone, iPod, MacBook, and iPad. In 2024, the company released their first VR headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Apple Inc. Since its famous beginning in a garage in California, Apple has grown into a tech industry giant, today holding the title of the world’s most valuable brand. The company released over a dozen new products in 2023, with new generations of its iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad being released. In addition to its consumer electronics products, the company develops a variety of software packages, applications, web browsers, and more recently, cloud technology offerings. On November 1, 2019, with the official launch of its ambitious Apple TV+, Apple also entered the over-the-top media service market, albeit late to the already competitive game. Apple’s massive range of compatible products and software bring in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue each year and made it the first public company whose market value reaches the one trillion U.S. dollar landmark.