Top 20 Websites
1. Google.com:
The best example of a website becoming “ubiquitous” is perhaps the strange case of Google.
The word “google,” which simply means to look something up on Google, was added to the Oxford English Dictionary
For years, Google has been the standard of search engines. Using any other search engine was a telling sign that you belong to a previous generation of obsolescence.
2. Facebook.com
Revenue: $5.1 billion
The tale of Facebook is, on the other hand, completely different. It too has had a seemingly bizarre effect on our language: “to friend,” “to like,” or “wall” have all assumed a place in our colloquial talk. But its story is a little different.
It was once cool to use Facebook. Then it became uncool, once everyone had it. You began to hear of people disabling their account for Lent or some other misguided ascetic reasons.
Years later, it has simply become an extension of your identity, for better or worse. It’s assumed that when you meet someone, you friend them and look through their profiles and pictures.
It’s changed entirely the distinction between our private and public lives.
Annual Revenue: $1.7 billion
Before YouTube, we had no control over what we could watch.
Before YouTube, we had no control over what we could watch.
Youtube is truly the tube that belongs to the people, enabling us to find the weirdest, funniest, the most horrifying, or the most humane videos that give us a real snapshot into the breadth of human culture.
4. Yahoo.com
Founder: Jerry Yang, David Filo
Annual Revenue: $4.98 billion
Yahoo was one of the first web “portals,” a name for websites that bring together information from a diverse set of sources. The point of the portal, perhaps, was to create a miniature internet, so that you would never have to stray away from it to acquire what information you needed. Perhaps it was too ambitious in this respect and was therefore superseded by the calm simplicity of Google.
5. Baidu.com
Annual Revenue: $2.36 billion
Baidu boasts the most poetic origin of all the top earning websites. The name comes from a classical Chinese poem named “Green Jade Table in the Lantern Festival,” which speaks of, after searching thousands of times, finding someone in a crowd. To founder Robin Li, this persistent search for the ideal ought to be the philosophy of a search engine, and this perhaps accounts for the great success of the great Chinese language search engine.
6. Wikipedia.com
Founders: Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger Annual Revenue: $2.735 million
You probably did not expect a non-profit website on this list, and you probably uttered, “Oh yeah!” upon seeing Wikipedia. This site defied what we thought would be impossible, or at least worthless: to build a reliably informative knowledge-base using anonymous volunteers on the internet.
7. QQ.com
Founder: Ma Huateng and Zhang Zhidong
Annual Revenue: $4.6 billion
The Western world might not have heard of QQ, but it’s made a huge impact in China. It’s the most popular instant messaging service there, perhaps because it features the cutest penguin mascot ever.
The Western world might not have heard of QQ, but it’s made a huge impact in China. It’s the most popular instant messaging service there, perhaps because it features the cutest penguin mascot ever.
8. Twitter.com
Founder: Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Evan Williams, Biz Stone
Annual Revenue: $140 million
When I first heard of Twitter, my first thought was, “So it’s like Facebook updates, except without the Facebook. Yeah, great.” I should have curbed my skepticism. Twitter has changed the way we construct narratives around our lives by condensing what we say, feel, or think into a series of 140-character musings.
When I first heard of Twitter, my first thought was, “So it’s like Facebook updates, except without the Facebook. Yeah, great.” I should have curbed my skepticism. Twitter has changed the way we construct narratives around our lives by condensing what we say, feel, or think into a series of 140-character musings.
9. Amazon.com
Annual Revenue: $61.09 billion
You’ll never need to worry about whether you’re getting the best deal. You’ll also never need to go to a retail store again. Heck, you can even get groceries on there. Who knew? Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, can fetch it all for you. It’s like having a vending machine in your house that sells everything ever.
10. LinkedIn.com
Founders: Reid Hoffman
Annual Revenue: $972 million
Founder Reid Hoffman is a veteran of the social network concept, creating SocialNet.com in 1997, years before anyone had ever heard of Myspace or Facebook. After working at PayPal, he founded the first important business-oriented online social network.
Founder Reid Hoffman is a veteran of the social network concept, creating SocialNet.com in 1997, years before anyone had ever heard of Myspace or Facebook. After working at PayPal, he founded the first important business-oriented online social network.
11. Bing.com
Founders: Microsoft
Annual Revenue: $73.72 billion
Bing has been making a comeback in recent years, after MSN was out-competed by Google and Yahoo. Perhaps this has to do with the collaborative efforts between Yahoo and Microsoft to make Bing into a serious contender with Google. By 2011, Bing had become the fastest growing market share in core searches.
Bing has been making a comeback in recent years, after MSN was out-competed by Google and Yahoo. Perhaps this has to do with the collaborative efforts between Yahoo and Microsoft to make Bing into a serious contender with Google. By 2011, Bing had become the fastest growing market share in core searches.
12. Yandex.ru
Founders: Arkady Volozh
Annual Revenue: $641 million
Like Baidu, you might not have heard of it. Yet it’s the 4th largest search engine worldwide. It’s also the most popular website in Russia.
Like Baidu, you might not have heard of it. Yet it’s the 4th largest search engine worldwide. It’s also the most popular website in Russia.
13. WordPress.com
Founders: Matt Mullenweg, Mike Little
Annual Revenue: $45 million
Man is a blogging animal. Yet there was Xanga, then OpenDiary, then LiveJournal, then MySpace, then Blogger, etc. But WordPress has been the definitive blogging platform—nay, not merely a blogging platform but essentially a flexible content management system that is user-friendly to both novice and experts.
Man is a blogging animal. Yet there was Xanga, then OpenDiary, then LiveJournal, then MySpace, then Blogger, etc. But WordPress has been the definitive blogging platform—nay, not merely a blogging platform but essentially a flexible content management system that is user-friendly to both novice and experts.
14. Ebay.com
Founders: Pierre Omidyar
Annual Revenue: $14.07 billion
The world’s largest thrift store, pawn shop, vintage dealer, antique market, used record store, etc., etc.
The world’s largest thrift store, pawn shop, vintage dealer, antique market, used record store, etc., etc.
15. Weibo.com
Founders:Wang Xing
Annual Revenue: $482 million
Sina Weibo is China’s response (or copy?) of Twitter. Users post with a 140-character limit, add hashtags, follow other users, with many celebrity accounts.
Sina Weibo is China’s response (or copy?) of Twitter. Users post with a 140-character limit, add hashtags, follow other users, with many celebrity accounts.
16. Microsoft.com
Founders: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer
Annual Revenue: $73.72 billion
We all know the story of Microsoft, titan of the computer world, crushing every competitor with its little toe. Yet for everything there is an ebb and flow, and Microsoft soon lost its hold on every soul to Apple. Of course, I kid, but Microsoft does seem a little out of place here. Maybe they’re including Windows Update in the results.
We all know the story of Microsoft, titan of the computer world, crushing every competitor with its little toe. Yet for everything there is an ebb and flow, and Microsoft soon lost its hold on every soul to Apple. Of course, I kid, but Microsoft does seem a little out of place here. Maybe they’re including Windows Update in the results.
17. Tumblr.com
Founders: David Karp
Annual Revenue: $13 million
Are hipsters taking over the world? If so, then Tumblr is living proof of it. The most stylish of the blogging platforms, Tumblr is a repository for witty, self-styled intellects who post fake vintage photos of their dreary, post-capitalist lives.
Are hipsters taking over the world? If so, then Tumblr is living proof of it. The most stylish of the blogging platforms, Tumblr is a repository for witty, self-styled intellects who post fake vintage photos of their dreary, post-capitalist lives.
18. Mail.ru
Founders: Dmitry Grishin, Alexey Krivenkov, Michael Zaitsev, Eugene Goland
Annual Revenue: $515 million
Mail.ru is Russia’s largest free e-mail service. It superseded Gmail because it’s one letter shorter and therefore saved millions of hours of lost productivity.
Mail.ru is Russia’s largest free e-mail service. It superseded Gmail because it’s one letter shorter and therefore saved millions of hours of lost productivity.
19. Pinterest.com
Founders: Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp, Ben Silbermann
Annual Revenue: $45 million
One of the great surprises of recent times, Pinterest is a global pin-board of recipes, crafts, photos, and other fantastic discoveries.
One of the great surprises of recent times, Pinterest is a global pin-board of recipes, crafts, photos, and other fantastic discoveries.
20. PayPal.com
Founders: Ken Howery, Max Levchin, Elon Musk, Luke Nosek, Peter Thiel
Annual Revenue: $5.6 billion
PayPal made it safe(r) to shop online. Next: BitCoin?
Annual Revenue: $5.6 billion
PayPal made it safe(r) to shop online. Next: BitCoin?
Now, Paypal is this far down on the top 20 money making websites, but not because of its revenue, I leave it up to you to guess why this is…
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