Home to Apple, Google, and Meta, Silicon Valley is considered a global epicenter of technological innovation and advancement. Many of the most successful tech corporations were founded in the area, and it's known as a hot spot for startups.
The area, formerly known for its agriculture, is located south of San Francisco Bay in California, and encompasses cities like San Jose, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, and more. San Jose, which is considered the Valley's capital, has more than 6,600 tech companies on its own. Silicon Valley got its name from the headline "Silicon Valley U.S.A." printed in Electronic News in January 1971. The author was writing about the semiconductor industry's history and used the term to describe the Bay Area's production and use of silicon computer chips.
The combined market cap of all the companies in Silicon Valley was $14.3T in 2024. Their combined venture capital funding hit $30B the same year. The tech hub is currently home to roughly 1.7 million workers.
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During the company's early years, Hewlett and Packard established a management approach called "the HP Way." The approach, which was considered radical at the time, helped shape the way Silicon Valley is run today.
Some even called Noyce the “Mayor of Silicon Valley.” According to Steve Jobs, he was the “ultimate inventor, rebel, and entrepreneur.” This Founders episode dissects an article from 1983 that explains Noyce’s lasting impact.
The "Silicon Valley of Hardware" is a major manufacturing hub. This WIRED documentary from 2016 does a deep dive into how this Chinese city's practice of copycat manufacturing alongside its innovative culture has made it China's own Silicon Valley.
The HBO show "Silicon Valley" follows the story of an engineer who is trying to get his startup to take off in Silicon Valley. While one tech CEO said the show is like a documentary, many speculate the show is based on real life tech figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel.
Silicon Valley Bank—the 16th largest bank in the US—served many tech startups in the area as well as many venture capitalists. The bank collapsed in 2023—in a single day, bankers took out $42B.
Today, Silicon Valley is known for its dominance in the tech world. But before it rose to prominence, New Jersey was the country's innovation hub. From Thomas Edison's light bulb to the transistor, New Jersey was considered the nation's leader in technology.
Silicon Valley, the 1,800-square-mile hub of tech innovation, reached more than $14T in market value in 2024. Home to industry giants like Apple and Adobe, its influence is undeniable. But rising costs and corporate relocations raise questions about its future.
It was called the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.” This video by Vox explains how the area went from growing prunes to producing computer chips. It also explains how Stanford University had a big impact on the area’s development.
From its developments in radio, defense technology, and personal computing, Silicon Valley has been associated with innovating tech for more than a century. This animated timeline of Silicon Valley’s history helps visualize its evolution.
As a leader in the global economy, Silicon Valley's growth is closely watched around the world. In 2025, companies in the region posted $92B in venture capital deals and created 23,000 new patents. The average wage in the region is $189K, which is much higher than the national average, but the median home price sits around $2.25M—which calls the sustainability of the region's living standards into question.
The United States is home to more than 33 million businesses, the vast majority of which are small businesses, with millions being created (and others closing shop) every year. These businesses often rely on loans, provide the goods and services that keep the economy flowing, and sometimes even grow large enough to enter public markets or provide private investment opportunities. Explore key topics central to business and finance, from the role of the Federal Reserve to how initial public offerings work, how millions of American students finance higher education, and more.