Apple beats rivals including Microsoft and Google for being the most future-proof brand

Apple has topped the 2023 FutureBrand Index, beating out major competitors like Google, Microsoft, and Samsung for the No. 1 spot, although some of those competitors didn’t lag too far behind.

The FutureBrand Index is an annual list, now in its ninth year, that rates companies by how future-proof their brand is. FutureBrand says the findings of its 2023 index suggest that if brands want to perform well in the future, they need to avoid what it calls the “Purpose Void—a place where an ever more informed and enquiring public relegates organizations which fail to practice what they preach.”

“The FutureBrand Index points toward a truth: In order to garner high brand esteem, companies must foster agility, spearhead innovation, and embrace an unwavering commitment to corporate social responsibility,” Lynne Field, head of strategy at FutureBrand North America, said in a statement. “In this era of corporate mistrust and consumer polarization, the companies that remain true to their mission and deliver what they promise will win in the hearts and minds of their stakeholders.”  

The top five companies that are remaining true to their mission in the 2023 FutureBrand Index are:

Apple: The American tech giant, for its innovation and focus on safety and privacy.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL): A Chinese maker of EV batteries that will help power transportation as the world moves toward clean energy.
NextEra Energy: An American producer and provider of clean energy solutions.
TSMC: The Taiwanese chipmaking behemoth that produces the chips in products like our iPhones and also makes the chips that will power the AI revolution in the years ahead.
Samsung: The South Korean smartphone and appliance maker that dominates the Android handset market.

When it comes to other household tech brands, Microsoft came in 6th, Nvidia 9th, and Intel 22nd, due to their investment in AI technologies. Amazon came in 16th place due to its focus on customer convenience.

The FutureBrand Index compiles its list by starting with PwC’s list of Global Top 100 Companies by Market Capitalization. It then surveys more than 3,000 business professionals worldwide about their thoughts on how future-proof those brands are. The 2023 FutureBrand Index survey was conducted between May 31 and June 12, 2023.