When you think of the technology heavy hitters in the United States, cities like San Francisco and New York might come to mind. But one city that’s been growing into one of the biggest technology cities in both the United States and the world is Seattle. Seattle’s tech industry is booming, and in this blog, we’re listing out a few of the companies that are behind this momentum. So let’s take a closer look at five of the top tech companies in Seattle.
About Seattle’s Tech Industry
Seattle is not only one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States by population growth; it’s also one of the fastest-growing tech hubs. In fact, Business Insider named Seattle, Washington as number fifteen on their list of the most innovative and high-tech cities in the world.
So, how has Seattle carved itself such a formidable space in the technology industry? Well, it’s home to many tech companies that have brought job growth and cutting-edge research and innovation. Here are five of the top tech companies in Seattle, that are making the city the technology powerhouse that it is.
1. Amazon
We couldn’t start this list without talking about Amazon, one of the few companies that have surpassed a 1 trillion dollar market value (another company has managed this feat later on in the list).
We all know Amazon and have most likely received a package with the widely-recognized smile at one point or another. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon on July 5, 1994, in Bellevue, Washington and 25 years later the company employs around 798,000 individuals. These employees work at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters and other locations across the globe, such as Luxembourg, Costa Rica, Madrid, and more.
2. Microsoft
Another major company that is commonly associated with Seattle is none other than Microsoft. Technically, the Microsoft headquarters is located in Redmond, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Still, we couldn’t let this technicality push it off the list — it is Microsoft, after all.
Joining Amazon, Microsoft is another company that can say it’s hit a 1 trillion dollar valuation. As one of the largest technology companies in the world, Microsoft has provided many jobs in the Seattle area. Microsoft offers a diverse line of hardware and software products, most recently focusing heavily on cloud computing with Microsoft Azure. Azure is the second-largest cloud provider, following Amazon Web Services, and is growing in popularity.
3. Tableau Software
Recently acquired by Salesforce, Tableau Software is another company elevating the tech scene in Seattle. Tableau is a data visualization software company that focuses on business intelligence.
One of the younger companies on the list, Tableau was founded in 2003 and has grown to create a billion-dollar revenue stream for itself. The business has created thousands of jobs and has earned its place as one of the top tech companies in Seattle.
4. Cray Inc.
Next up on our list is Cray Inc. Similarly to Tableau, Cray was acquired late last year by Hewlett Packard. Cray manufactures supercomputers and systems for data storage and analytics.
With its headquarters in Seattle, Cray is another technology company that is supporting the growth of the tech hub. With the backing of HP, the company is poised for even more growth and contribution to Seattle’s technology scene.
5. SAP Concur
SAP Concur is another large technology company headquartered in the greater Seattle area. The company was originally Concur Technologies, before being acquired by SAP SE in 2014. The software company provides travel and expense management services for businesses.
The organization is backed by major names, with clients such as Twitter, JPMorgan Chase, and the American Red Cross. It’s no wonder this company is rounding out our list of top tech companies in Seattle.
In Conclusion
Seattle is quickly becoming one of the biggest technology hubs in the world. This status is solidified by the many technology companies setting up shop in the area. In this list, we noted five of the top tech companies in Seattle, but there are many others that we didn’t mention. Both established and up-and-coming businesses are helping shape Seattle’s tech landscape.
