How Much You’d Have If You Invested in These 6 Mega Tech Stocks 10 Years Ago
Written by
Caitlyn Moorhead
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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The S&P 500, the benchmark index most commonly used to reference the overall stock market, has had a stellar decade that made many investors rich.
For example, if you invested $100 in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 2015, you would have approximately $354 as of the beginning of 2025, assuming you reinvested all dividends. With this investment as your base, this would be an ROI of 254.05%, or 13.72% per year
The S&P represents the 500 largest U.S.-based corporations in terms of market capitalization, but a handful of fast-growing tech companies with gargantuan returns contributed a disproportionate amount of fuel to the larger market’s impressive 10-year gains.
Louis Balla, an investor and executive partner at Nuage Partners, a business growth and process-improvement firm, helped GOBankingRates crunch the numbers and identify six tech stocks that ruled the last decade.
Here’s a look at how much you would have today if you had invested $1,000 in the biggest tech stocks 10 years ago, factoring in price increases, dividends and splits.
Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
Google is so big that the dictionary enshrines its brand name as a recognized verb in the English language. According to financial markets data provider Finbox, which partners with Standard & Poors (S&P) Market Intelligence, the 10-year return for Google’s parent company Alphabet is estimated anywhere from 22.42% and 664.81%.
“Ten years ago, a $1,000 investment in Google would now be worth over $12,500,” said Balla. “Google’s innovative advertising and search optimization allowed rapid scaling. Revenue from ads targeting users’ interests and needs fueled stock growth.”
Apple (APPL)
Finbox data shows an 849.9% 10-year return for Apple, which has long been one of investment guru Warren Buffet’s favorite stocks — and it’s not hard to understand why the Oracle of Omaha is so sweet on Apple.
“$1,000 in Apple 10 years ago would now be $9,800,” said Balla. “Brand loyalty and the iPhone grew Apple’s value even during struggles.”
Amazon (AMZN)
Jeff Bezos was an early internet pioneer who built a niche online bookstore into the largest and most dominant e-commerce platform in the world. Achieving near-parity with Apple, the company’s stock earned anywhere between 31.57% and 1,461.22% on returns over the last 10 years.
“Amazon identified ways to disrupt retail, gaining market share,” said Balla. “Amazon leveraged convenience and low prices to dominate e-commerce.”
Your $1,000 investment a decade ago would have ballooned into roughly $9,500 today.
Meta (META)
According to market data provider FinanceCharts, Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. delivered its shareholders 631.27% gains over the last decade as its pioneering social media network expanded into a vast web of new revenue streams.
“Meta’s platforms engage billions daily,” said Balla. “$1,000 in Meta 10 years ago would now be $8,900. Highly targeted ads based on user data drive revenue.”
Microsoft (MSFT)
Bill Gates and Paul Allen launched the personal computing software revolution when they founded Microsoft in 1975. A half-century later, it’s still one of the most profitable tech companies in the world.
According to Finance Charts, Microsoft evolved with the ever-changing tech landscape and delivered its investors an estimated 957.2% returns over the last 10 years.
“Microsoft transitioned to cloud and business software leadership,” said Balla. “New revenue sources include software services and collaborations. $1,000 then is now $10,400.”
Nvidia (NVDA)
One of the greatest stock market tech darlings of all time, Nvidia makes the graphics processing units that are driving some of the most exciting advancements in modern technology.
“NVIDIA enables progress in AI, gaming and autonomous vehicles,” said Balla. “They power growth in emerging tech, boosting its stock value.”
According to FinanceCharts, the company’s shares rose by an eye-popping 28,558.2% over the last 10 years, making millionaires out of many who invested even relatively modest sums a decade ago.
According to the Motley Fool, a $1,000 investment in NVDA 10 years ago would be worth nearly $300,000 today.
Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.
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