Where do future growth opportunities lie in business? That’s one of the core questions behind the Future 50, a forward-looking index created by BCG and Fortune to identify the companies with the best long-term growth prospects. Our most recent ranking shows a clear tilt toward technology: 29 of the top 50 companies are found in the information technology, communications, or e-commerce industries.
This is not altogether surprising, given recent market developments that have seen the tech sector gain an even larger share of the overall economy in the wake of COVID-19. Consider that just four companies—Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet—now have a combined market cap equal to one-fifth of the S&P 500 overall.
On the surface, this might seem to point toward a future in which opportunity is mainly determined by industry, with only tech or tech-adjacent companies disproportionately succeeding in the long run.