Alphabet, Meta and ByteDance Dominate Global Web Traffic Rankings

A handful of platforms control the majority of internet traffic globally, with Alphabet, Meta, and ByteDance managing many of the most frequented websites. Google, established in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is at the forefront with offerings such as Gmail and Maps; a U.S. judge determined in 2024 that it possesses an unlawful monopoly in search. YouTube, created in 2005 and purchased by Google in 2006, typically ranks second or third. Facebook, which debuted in 2004 and went public in 2006, rebranded to Meta in 2021 after resolving a $5 billion FTC lawsuit in 2019. Instagram, bought in 2012, introduced Stories in 2016. X, formerly known as Twitter since 2023, continues to serve as a news platform. Amazon, founded in 1994, encountered an FTC lawsuit in September 2023. In China, Baidu is the leader, while TikTok, launched in 2016, is subject to a U.S. divestment law in 2024.