Twelve companies aren’t monopolies in the legal sense, but they’ve built functional choke points across the digital economy. They don’t block competition. They define the baseline. This thread was inspired by @StockSavvyShay, who laid out the original framework. I’ve expanded it with updated stats and operational context.
NVIDIA ($NVDA) leads AI compute. Over 90% of enterprise-scale training clusters run on its chips. CUDA is embedded in most AI workflows. AMD and Intel exist, but they’re not in the same lane.
Meta ($META) controls the largest social graph. Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp reach 4.2 billion monthly users. TikTok and Snapchat compete, but Meta’s ad infrastructure and data depth are unmatched.
Google ($GOOGL) owns search. It handles 91.4% of global queries. Bing and DuckDuckGo are alternatives, but Google’s indexing and browser integration keep it dominant.
Palantir ($PLTR) runs enterprise AI for defense, logistics, and energy. Gotham and Foundry are deployed in 42% of Fortune 500 firms. It’s not the only player, but it’s the one embedded in government and critical infrastructure.
Netflix ($NFLX) defined streaming. It still leads in engagement, with 1.3 billion hours watched daily. Disney+, Max, and Prime Video compete, but Netflix’s recommendation engine and global reach give it staying power.
Axon ($AXON) runs public safety tech. Its body cams, cloud storage, and dispatch systems are used by 78% of U.S. law enforcement agencies. Motorola Solutions competes, but Axon’s cloud-first model is the standard.
Tesla ($TSLA) drives real-world AI. Its fleet of 6.4 million vehicles feeds data into Dojo, its neural net training cluster. Rivian, Lucid, and BYD compete, but Tesla’s vertical integration and software stack are unique.
ASML ($ASML) controls EUV lithography. No other firm produces extreme ultraviolet machines for sub-5nm chips. That’s not market dominance. That’s sole capability.
TSMC ($TSM) owns advanced chip production. It manufactures 92% of the world’s semiconductors below 5nm. Samsung and Intel are scaling, but TSMC holds the throughput and yield edge.
Amazon ($AMZN) built global logistics. AWS, Prime, and its fulfillment network touch 61% of U.S. households weekly. Walmart and Shopify compete, but Amazon’s infrastructure is unmatched.
Shopify ($SHOP) powers small business e-commerce. It supports 2.1 million merchants and processed $289 billion in GMV last year. WooCommerce and BigCommerce exist, but Shopify’s app ecosystem and checkout flow dominate.
Robinhood ($HOOD) unlocked retail investing. It holds 38 million funded accounts and cleared $1.2 trillion in trades in H1 2025. Fidelity and Schwab are bigger, but Robinhood shaped the mobile-first model.
These firms don’t operate as monopolies. They operate as infrastructure.
Sources:
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/top-stocks-ai-exposure-2025-pltr-avgo-nvda
https://www.financecharts.com/compare/GOOGL,META,MSFT,NVDA
https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/AMZN,%20AAPL,%20GOOGL,%20TSLA,%20MSFT,%20FB,%20NVDA
NOTE: This is not financial advice. Please conduct your own due diligence.