AWS is doing some great stuff, but this is a really misleading article.
Ignoring the obvious issue that AWS is a service and not a software business (and they have very different growth characteristics), the data on the graph is incorrect. Perhaps calling it a "tech" company would have been more clear.
AWS's $3.1B revenue in 2013 would be year 3 of the graph. Everything after that is speculation, but is compared to actual historic data from other companies (without explanation).
Several of the other companies lines seem significantly off also. For instance MSFT's first billion dollar year was 1990. By year 3 they were making $2.76B, not the just under $2B shown. By year 4 they were showing $3.75B, not the under $3B shown. By year 6, MSFT was making $5.94B, not the $4.5B shown. Similarly, the lines for CRM and VMW are showing lower revenue numbers than the actual ones for the later years. For instance CRM should be $3.72B in year 4, not the $1.75B shown.
If you stop the graph at year 3, where actual AWS data stops, AWS has grown only a little bit faster than MSFT. Also, the periods graphed for MSFT, CRM, and VMW all include recessions, whereas AWS is growing during a boom.
Ignoring the obvious issue that AWS is a service and not a software business (and they have very different growth characteristics), the data on the graph is incorrect. Perhaps calling it a "tech" company would have been more clear.
AWS's $3.1B revenue in 2013 would be year 3 of the graph. Everything after that is speculation, but is compared to actual historic data from other companies (without explanation).
Several of the other companies lines seem significantly off also. For instance MSFT's first billion dollar year was 1990. By year 3 they were making $2.76B, not the just under $2B shown. By year 4 they were showing $3.75B, not the under $3B shown. By year 6, MSFT was making $5.94B, not the $4.5B shown. Similarly, the lines for CRM and VMW are showing lower revenue numbers than the actual ones for the later years. For instance CRM should be $3.72B in year 4, not the $1.75B shown.
If you stop the graph at year 3, where actual AWS data stops, AWS has grown only a little bit faster than MSFT. Also, the periods graphed for MSFT, CRM, and VMW all include recessions, whereas AWS is growing during a boom.