How Tesla’s Growth Stacks Up Against Amazon, Apple and Nvidia
Written by
Kellan Jansen
Edited by
Brendan McGinley
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Since its IPO in 2010, Tesla’s shares have appreciated by over 40,000%. That makes it one of the best-performing tech plays of the last decade.
But how does Tesla’s growth compare to the other top tech stocks of the 21st century? Amazon, Apple and NVIDIA have all gone through similar growth trajectories to become some of the largest companies in the world, and here’s how they compare to Tesla’s latest run.
Why Tesla Belongs in the Big Tech Conversation
First, it’s worth noting the trajectory that Tesla has taken to reach its current market cap. The company initially focused exclusively on electric vehicles. That’s similar to competitors like BYD and Rivian, each of which has substantially lower market caps. Why is that?
The key reason is Tesla’s expansion into other markets. The company doesn’t just manufacture electric vehicles anymore. They’ve created international networks of charging stations and leveraged that technology to improve solar performance in the home. Customers can also purchase solar batteries, panels and accessories from Tesla today. That’s increased the total addressable market of the business, which has helped it break out of the EV manufacturer niche.
Investors also like Tesla’s future potential. Musk is currently preparing the business for its next step forward: fully self-driving vehicles and robo-taxis. These could substantially increase revenue by providing Tesla with additional taxi income for each car it manufactures. The market for these rides could increase significantly as prices drop and become more competitive against car ownership and other ride-hailing services like Uber.
Musk has also talked about turning Tesla into a manufacturer of humanoid robots. This could create even more revenue for the company in the future, which increases its value among investors today.
So, Tesla is more than a vehicle-maker. It’s a tech company that belongs in the same conversation as Amazon, Apple and NVIDIA. Between cars, robo-taxis, robots and solar equipment, Tesla could become as central to our lives as packages from Amazon, hardware from Apple and chips from NVIDIA. But there’s still some distance to travel, and getting there isn’t guaranteed.
How Much Would You Have Made?
After accounting for all stock splits, here’s the dollar amount you would have today if you bought one share of each of these premium tech stocks at IPO:
| Company | IPO Price | Current Value |
| Tesla [1] | $17 | $6,600 |
| Amazon [2] | $18 | $60,000 |
| Apple [3] | $22 | $60,500 |
| NVIDIA [4] | $12 | $95,000 |
Tesla hasn’t increased in value as much as some of its tech counterparts have since their IPOs. But it’s still made a significant run since 2010. The bottom line is that an investor who purchased any of these stocks at IPO would be doing very well today. It’s a testament to the power of holding your winners through their ups and downs.
Tesla vs. Amazon, Apple and NVIDIA Through the Years
These mega-companies have had ups and downs over their years of growth. For example, NVIDIA and Apple took slightly longer to reach their hyperbolic upside than Tesla and Amazon, as reflected in the table below. Say that these figures have been adjusted to account for stock splits over the years.
| Company Name | Opening Price | 1 Year After IPO | 5 Years After IPO | 15 Years After IPO |
| Tesla | $17 (2010) [1] | $29 | $268 | $4,755 |
| Amazon | $18 (1997) [2] | $88 | $216 | $2,404 |
| Apple | $22 (1980) [5] | $22 [3] | $44 | $52 |
| NVIDIA | $12 (1999) [6] | $74 [4] | $88 | $82 |
What This Means for Your Investment Strategy
Tesla, Amazon, Apple and NVIDIA are some of the highest-performing stocks of recent decades. Their trajectories are far from the norm. But the performance is a good lesson about the potential value in buying a company you believe in at IPO and holding it long-term. As long as a company’s competitive advantages remain the same, it’s often worth sticking with your winners through periods of ups and downs.
That could mean thinking about long-term plays differently from shorter-term buys. For example, it may be better to hold these in a retirement portfolio, which you don’t check as often. You may also want to size your positions down in these long-term winners so you feel less pressure to sell during down cycles.
More From GOBankingRates
