The Fortune 500 is one of the oldest lists published in the financial media space. The first Fortune 500 was published in May 1955, and was based on annual revenue figures. The top ten companies on the list that year included: General Motors (GM), Jersey Standard, U.S. Steel (X), General Electric (GE), Esmark, Chrysler, Armour, Gulf Oil, Exxon Mobil (XOM), and DuPont (DD). Suffice it to say, the list has changed considerably since 1955 amid the rise in companies such as Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA) and Walmart (WMT). Besides showcasing how large a company’s revenue is for investors, the coveted list says a lot about the leaders behind the world’s biggest companies. So who is atop the latest Fortune 500 list and why? Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Editor Brian Sozzi chats with Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell joins Opening Bid

01:00-70 years of Fortune 500 lists

03:30-Walmart number 1 on 2024 Fortune 500 list

10:15-14 new companies on the Fortune 500 list

12:30-The cult of Costco

16:45-All things Microsoft

20:50-What's next for Fortune?

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid is hosted by Brian Sozzi, and produced by Alexander Frangeskides and Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Alyson Shontell is the Editor-in-Chief and CCO at Fortune. She was previously a co Editor-in-Chief overseeing Business Insider's tech and business coverage.

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