Founded in 1911, International Business Machines (IBM) is one of the world's oldest tech companies. Today IBM is the largest IT provider for businesses around the world. It operates in five main business segments. Technology Services & Cloud Platforms (43% of revenue, 25% of operating income): provides cloud and project-based outsourcing services to help improve clients' IT infrastructure. This segment also offers technical support for integrated software solution products the company sells. Cognitive Solutions (23% of revenue, 48% of operating income): includes Watson, the cognitive computing (artificial intelligence) platform that uses natural language, processes big data, and learns from interactions with people and other computers. This segment offers data and analytics solutions, cloud data services, enterprise social software, talent management solutions, and [...]

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (MSFT) is most famous for its Windows operating system, which runs approximately 75% of the world’s computers. However, in recent decades the company has vastly diversified its operations to become a software and hardware powerhouse that operates three distinct business segments: Productivity and Business Processes (33% of sales, growing 20% a year): Office 365 commercial and consumer product suites, which include Office, Exchange, Outlook.com, Skype, OneDrive, and Dynamics cloud solutions for businesses and individuals. Intelligent Cloud Services (29% of sales, growing 15-20% a year):server and cloud-based solutions, including its fast-growing Azure business cloud platform.

Intel (INTC) was incorporated in 1968 and is the largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips in the world. Intel’s primary products are microprocessors and chipsets. A microprocessor acts as the brain of computers and many other electronic devices (e.g. servers, tablets, phones, wearable devices). It essentially controls and manages what a computer does by handling communications between the processor, memory, and other components. A chipset consists of numerous electronic components that help manage the flow of data within an electronic device (e.g. between the mouse, keyboard, monitor, and hard drive; help balances the performance of a system).

Qualcomm (QCOM) was founded in 1985 and is a leader in the development and commercialization of digital communication technologies called CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), including LTE (Long Term Evolution). The company owns significant intellectual property applicable to products that implement any version of CDMA and OFDMA, including over 46,000 patents. Any company in the mobile communications industry trying to develop, manufacture, or sell products using CDMA and/or LTE standards usually requires a patent license from Qualcomm. The company also develops other technologies used in handsets and tablets, including certain audio and video technologies, advanced WLAN functionality, and memory controllers. The main factor that drives the company’s performance is cell phone penetration, particularly [...]