Despite claims that AI will kill traditional search, Google has edged Apple out of the No. 1 spot on Kantar’s annual BrandZ report, the research company’s ranking of the 100 most valuable brands in the world, released Thursday.
The tech giant’s brand value grew 57% over last year, according to the data and analytics giant, which now values it at $1.48 trillion.
Apple had occupied the lead position for the previous four consecutive years. Its slip down to second place wasn’t because of anything it did wrong (Apple’s brand value actually rose 6%), but what Google has done right—especially when it comes to AI.
“It’s four things,” Kantar CEO Jeff Greenspoon told ADWEEK. “They embedded intelligence into everyday behavior at a scale that no one else had. They made it useful for people. They monetized it well. And the behavior shows that it’s integrated into the platform.”
Technology brands overall maintained the strong presence they had in the 2025 report, with the likes of Oracle, IBM, Cisco, Intel, and Intuit all snagging places in the top 50.
It may come as a surprise, then, to see the strong showing of AI brands on this year’s list: Nvidia at no. 5, ChatGPT at no. 15, and Claude at no. 27. Rapid adoption of AI by the general public can account for this growing connection, as Greenspoon pointed out, with 64% of consumers reporting that they use AI to find what they want.
Guerrieria also acknowledged the maturation in the sector—not just LLMs “emerging as brands in their own rights,” he said, but “deliberately moving toward emotional brand building.” The funny, clever, and emotional Super Bowl ads from the likes of Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude serve as examples.
Elsewhere, Chinese companies not only held high ranks (Alibaba at no. 19 and TikTok at no. 25 were the top placers), but as a category exhibited a 31% increase in brand value over last year. The Agricultural Bank of China and consumer-electronics giant Xiaomi posted individual brand-value increases of 54% and 48%, respectively.
