What Exactly Is Big Tech?

While many people associate "Big Tech" with the largest household names in the industry, the definition can, and should, be broader. This lesson provides a useful lens for identifying companies that operate like Big Tech, even if they’re not part of the traditional FAANG group.

• Traditional Big Tech: Commonly refers to the largest companies by market cap - Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Meta. Sometimes Netflix is included (as in “FAANG”), but it's structurally different, e.g. Netflix historically had no engineering levels and treated everyone as senior engineers.
• Critique of the FAANG Acronym: Netflix is singled out as not entirely representative of "Big Tech" norms, being smaller in scale and structurally more unique than the others.
• Broader Definition: Companies with $50B+ market cap and 2,500+ engineers, along with similar performance expectations, leveling systems, and engineering culture as the Big Five, should also be considered Big Tech. This includes companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Stripe.
• Why This Matters: Focusing only on the top 5–6 companies can be limiting. Many other companies now offer equivalent opportunities in terms of compensation, growth potential, and engineering culture, especially as they reach scale.

This broader perspective is helpful when evaluating job options and team culture - not all Big Tech companies are the usual suspects.