Today we're constantly bombarded with news from the world's mega-corporations. More and more, it seems like the FAANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) will just keep getting bigger and bigger. However, according to some historians, these titans of tech are nothing compared to the financial reach and impact of one company that reigned throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Colloquially known as the Dutch East India Company, the VOC (short for Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) laid the foundation for modern business in some good and many destructive ways. What is phenomenal is that by specific estimates, though heavily disputed, the value of this company exceeded 8 trillion USD dollars. That valuation would make this company more valuable than every country on earth today, excluding China and the United States. It was a mind-bogglingly colossal company, which is precisely why we're still talking about them today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices