Mobility/Travel/Analysis/ Don’t underestimate the size of Booking.com, says chairwoman: ‘Airbnb is so much smaller’ Who is the biggest technology company in Europe? Booking.com is bigger than the likes of Spotify and Adyen, according to Gillian Tans, the company's chairwoman. By Sam Shead 14 November 2019 \Mobility 10 European startups simplifying supply chains, according to VCs By Connor Bilboe 10 February 2022 Mobility/Travel/Analysis/ Don’t underestimate the size of Booking.com, says chairwoman: ‘Airbnb is so much smaller’ Who is the biggest technology company in Europe? Booking.com is bigger than the likes of Spotify and Adyen, according to Gillian Tans, the company's chairwoman. By Sam Shead 14 November 2019 What is the biggest technology company in Europe? It’s a debate that’s been raging on for years and now an unlikely candidate has stepped into the ring to try and claim the title: Booking.com. Gillian Tans, chair of Booking.com, told Sifted that the travel search engine is arguably the largest tech firm on the continent. Booking Holdings, parent company of Booking.com, has a market cap of $85bn (€77bn), Tans said proudly at the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon. Asked if she thinks Booking.com is the biggest tech firm in Europe Tans replied: “Yes. Oh, for sure.” Founded in 1996, the travel booking platform, which employs 17,500 people in 70 countries, has a bigger market cap than Stockholm’s Spotify ($26bn; €24bn), Amsterdam’s Adyen (€19bn), and London’s JustEat (£5bn; €6bn). “Booking.com is probably one of Europe’s biggest success stories,” says Tans, adding that people may not realise this because Booking.com has been “humble” and “very Dutch”. There’s also the small issue of whether Booking.com is a “travel” company or a “tech” company, but given Airbnb is widely referred to as a tech company it only seems fair to put Booking.com in the same category. “Airbnb is so much smaller,” Tans says. “Booking.com is one of the most global companies out there.” Other European tech giants Is Tans right about Booking.com being the biggest tech company in Europe? Well, there are actually several European tech firms with a bigger market cap than Booking Holdings, depending on how you define a tech company. Booking.com might be bigger than people realise but there are bigger fish in Europe. German software giant SAP is valued at €151bn and ASML, a supplier to the semiconductor industry, is worth €103bn. Prosus — the international listing of South Africa’s Naspers — arguably became the largest consumer internet company in Europe earlier this year when it listed on Euronext Amsterdam with a €95bn valuation. Much of that valuation related to its stake in Chinese tech giant Tencent, however. Europe has more multibillion tech firms than ever but the continent still lags way behind the US and China and the 10 most valuable tech firms worldwide are all outside Europe. European investors and policymakers have been longing for a homegrown Google, Apple, or Alibaba, but the continent is still some way off producing one. However, Europe’s unicorn companies are now growing faster than US unicorn companies, so perhaps it’s only a matter of time? Related Articles Airlines collaborate with startups to solve your holiday hell By Maija Palmer Click here to read more GetYourGuide: Inside the kraken By Amy Lewin Click here to read more Founders flee to Estonia’s digital paradise By Christina zur Nedden Click here to read more Most Read 1 \Startup Life Tech Nation shutting down as UK government controversially pulls key funding 2 \Fintech Monzo revenues surge more than twofold, putting it on track for 2023 profitability 3 \Consumer Glovo lays off 6% of staff following fresh fine from Spanish government 4 \Startup Life How we grew our team 5x without spending £1 on recruitment 5 \Venture Capital France plans to use the startup downturn to come out on top in Europe
Airlines collaborate with startups to solve your holiday hell By Maija Palmer Click here to read more