China's GAFAMs: who are the BATX in 2022?

China's GAFAMs are called BATX in 2022. BATX is an acronym for : Baidu Alibaba Tencent Xiaomi The BATX are the 4 largest technology companies in China in 2022. The BATX are often compared to the Western GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft) which are their American competitors.

Which GAFAM do these Social Networks belong to?

by Alice SEGUIN | Social Media

Which GAFAM do these social networks belong to? WhatsApp, Linkedin, Youtube, Twitter...

You are wondering about the membership of social networks in GAFAM.

This is the complete list, updated in 2023, of social networks and their membership of a GAFAM or not.

Who owns WhatsApp? Snapchat?

Indeed, some social networks are owned by GAFAMsFor example, Instagram is owned by Facebook / Meta.

Other social networks are still independent in 2023: for example Twitter or Snapchat.

Discover now my list of social networks and their owners (GAFAM or not):

Article updated in February 2023.

Definition: what does GAFAM mean?

GAFAM is an acronym for the 5 largest US technology companies in 2023: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft.

These 5 multinationals are sometimes referred to as the "Big Five" or "The Five".

Note that we used to talk about GAFA (without the M) for Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon without including the M for Microsoft.

It was only recently that the M of Microsoft was added to GAFA to create the acronym GAFAM.

The full name of the GAFAM is therefore : Google / Apple / Facebook / Microsoft.

Who is the richest GAFAM?

The richest GAFAM in 2023 is Apple in the sense of market capitalisation.

This is the classification of the richest GAFAMs in February 2023 by stock market value, in descending order from richest to least rich :

Apple : 2 420 billion $ market capitalization in February 2023
Microsoft : 2 000 billion $
Google : 1 540 billion
Amazon : 1 170 billion $
Facebook / Meta : 548 billion $

So Apple is indeed the richest GAFAM in 2023 with over 2,420 billion $ in market capitalisation with an Apple share worth around 2,329 $ in May 2023.

To which GAFAM do these social networks belong (the list)?

In this section we will look at which GAFAMs these social networks belong to: WhatsApp, Youtube, Linkedin, Instagram...

Indeed some social networks are owned by GAFAMs in 2023, such as WhatsApp which is owned by Facebook / Meta.

And other social networks do not belong to any social network: Twitter, Snapchat...

Here is the list of social networks and their membership in GAFAM:

Which GAFAM owns WhatsApp?

In 2023, WhatsApp is owned by GAFAM Facebook (the F in GAFAM).

WhatsApp is a mobile instant messaging application created in 2009 in the United States by two former Yahoo employees: Jan Koum and Brian Acton.

Then WhatsApp was bought by Facebook in 2014 for $22 billion (about €18 billion).

WhatsApp is developed by the company WhatsApp, Inc. owned by the Meta Platforms, Inc. group (formerly Facebook).

Meta is the new name of the Facebook group since 2021 and which owns the social network Facebook, the instant messenger Messenger, the social network Instagram and therefore the instant messenger WhatsApp.

Which GAFAM owns Linkedin?

In 2023, Linkedin is owned by Microsoft (the M in GAFAM).

Linkedin is a professional social network created in 2002 in the United States.

Linkedin was acquired in June 2016 by Microsoft for $26.2 billion (about €23.4 billion).

Linkedin allows you to manage your professional image, search for a job online, find people you know, learn new skills.

Feel free to follow MEDIABOSS on its Linkedin Corporate page or my personal account.

Which GAFAM owns YouTube?

Youtube belongs to GAFAM Google, the G of GAFAM (in 2023).

Youtube is an online video hosting service and a video-based social network.

Youtube was created in February 2005 in the United States.

Then Youtube was bought in October 2006 by Google (now Alphabet) for 1.65 billion dollars.

Youtube allows its users to upload and host videos, watch, comment, rate (like) and share them.

Which GAFAM owns Instagram?

In 2023, Instagram will be owned by Meta Platforms (ex. Facebook), the F in GAFAM.

Instagram is a mobile application (iPhone or Android) and a social network for sharing photos and videos.

Created in October 2010 by two co-founders in the United States, Instagram was acquired in 2012 by Facebook (now Meta) for US$1 billion.

Instagram allows you to post photos, videos, stories or real life and share them with your community (followers).

Instagram is owned by the Meta Platforms, Inc. group, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and therefore Instagram.

Which GAFAM owns Facebook?

Facebook is owned by Meta, the parent company of Facebook (F in GAFAM)! 🙂

Facebook is THE social network par excellence created in 2014 by Mark Zuckerberg in the USA.

Facebook is the world's largest social network in 2023 with almost 2.9 billion monthly active users (source: Digital Report by WeAreSocial and Hootsuite).

Facebook is a social network that allows you to share content (texts, photos, videos), interact with your friends (like, comment, share), communicate, buy, sell products (marketplace...).

In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg decided to rename the company Facebook to Meta (Meta Platforms, Inc.).

And the social network Facebook is now owned by Meta, as is Messenger, the social network Instagram or WhatsApp...

Which GAFAM owns Twitter?

In 2023, Twitter does not belong to any GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft).

Since its creation in 2006, Twitter has remained independent of the GAFAMs.

Twitter is a "micro blogging" social network allowing its users to exchange messages in less than 280 characters (tweets), photos, videos...

Twitter is one of the best social networks for following news.

Twitter made headlines in 2020 with the banning of Donald Trump's Twitter account.

And in 2023 with the proposed takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

However, in 2023 Twitter is not owned by any GAFAM.

To which GAFAM does Google belong?

Google is a GAFAM: the G of GAFAM! 🙂

Google is a technology company founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Google is best known for its search engine, the world leader with over 90% market share in 2023.

Google therefore allows you to search for information online via its search engine.

However, Google has developed other activities in online technology:

Note that Google was renamed Alphabet in May 2015.

Alphabet is the parent company of all Google subsidiaries: Google Inc, Calico, CapitalG, Deepmind, GoogleFiber, GV, Nest Labs, Fitbit, Google X...etc

Which GAFAM owns Snapchat?

In 2023, Snapchat is not owned by any GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft).

Since its creation in 2011, Snapchat has remained independent of the GAFAMs.

Snapchat is a mobile application (iPhone, Android) for sharing ephemeral content called snaps: texts, photos, videos...

One of the benefits of Snapchat is that your content only lasts 24 hours and disappears.

Your snaps expire once they have been viewed.

In 2023 Snap Inc. is therefore not owned by any GAFAM!

To which GAFAM does Uber belong?

In 2023 Uber will not belong to any GAFAM: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft.

Since its creation in March 2009, Uber has remained independent of the GAFAMs.

Founded by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in the United States, Uber has become a technology company dedicated to mobility and the connection between customers and drivers, the Uber drivers.

Uber is best known for its "taxi" mobile application that connects urban travellers with Uber drivers (like taxis).

But Uber Inc also has subsidiaries in other sectors: Uber Eats, Careem, Postmates, Drizly, Car Next Door, Otto...etc

In 2023, Uber Inc. will not belong to any GAFAM!

To which GAFAM does Zoom belong?

In 2023, Zoom does not belong to any GAFAM: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft.

Zoom is an online video conferencing software created in 2011 by Zoom Video Communications and its Chinese-American founder Eric Yuan.

Zoom was very successful in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with a boom in its use.

Zoom allows you to organise virtual meetings (videoconferences) with sound and image (via webcam).

Conclusion

So there you have it, a nice overview of social networks and their membership of a GAFAM.

Social networks can therefore be divided into two categories:

1. Social networks that belong to a GAFAM Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube

2. Social networks independent "(which do not belong to any social network): Twitter, Snap, Uber, Zoom...

I will add new social networks and their membership (or not) to a GAFAM as I go along.