Top 20 tech companies in California
List of tech companies in California
- Meta
- Adobe
- HP
- Cisco
- eBay
- NVIDIA
- Intel
- Intuit
- Agilent Technologies
- PayPal
- VMware
- Salesforce
- Apple
- Experian
- Broadcom Inc.
- Workday
- Qualcomm
- Netflix
- Square
California is the largest technology hub in the United States. The state is home to Apple, Google, Meta, NVIDIA, Intel, and Cisco.
The 20 companies below are the largest and best established tech firms headquartered in California. They span semiconductors, cloud software, payments, streaming, and consumer hardware.
The scale is measurable, not just reputational. CompTIA’s State of the Tech Workforce report ranks California first among all US states for tech employment. The same report puts total US net tech employment at 9,607,925 for 2024.
These firms sit at the front of most technology shifts. Their products shape how the rest of the world communicates, shops, and works.
Many also rely on lean distributed teams and external partners to scale delivery.
What is a tech company?
A tech company builds or applies advanced technology to create products, services, or platforms. The category covers software, hardware, semiconductors, telecommunications, and internet services.
One defining trait is sustained spending on research and development. These firms need a steady pipeline of new products to hold their position.
Most also run a culture built around fast experimentation and short release cycles.
California’s tech industry at a glance
California’s technology sector is not one cluster. It is four distinct hubs, each with its own specialties.
| Tech hub | Main cities | Strongest sectors |
|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley | San Jose, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto | Semiconductors, enterprise software, consumer hardware |
| San Francisco Bay | San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton | Cloud software, fintech, artificial intelligence |
| San Diego | San Diego, Carlsbad | Wireless, semiconductors, life sciences technology |
| Greater Los Angeles | Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver City, Irvine | Media technology, gaming, aerospace and defense systems |
These firms drive employment, investment, and tax revenue across the state. They also anchor a deep supplier base of software and service vendors.
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Top 20 tech companies in California
Below are 20 of the largest and most established tech companies headquartered in California.
1. Meta
Meta, formerly Facebook, runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. The company is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.
Its platforms connect people, host communities, and carry targeted advertising for businesses of every size.
Meta also invests heavily in artificial intelligence, smart glasses, and virtual reality hardware.
2. Adobe
Adobe is based in San Jose and leads the market for digital media and marketing software.
Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat remain industry standards for design, image editing, and document work.
Its Creative Cloud platform puts those tools online so teams can collaborate from anywhere. Adobe also sells analytics and marketing software to enterprises.
3. HP
HP Inc. is based in Palo Alto, California. It builds hardware and software for consumers and businesses worldwide.
The range covers laptops, desktops, workstations, printers, displays, and accessories.
HP also sells managed print services, device security, and support contracts.
4. Cisco
Cisco is headquartered in San Jose and builds the equipment that runs enterprise networks.
Its catalog spans routers, switches, wireless gear, collaboration tools, and cybersecurity software.
Cisco also offers consulting and technical support to help teams run their own infrastructure.
5. eBay
eBay is an online marketplace founded in California and headquartered in San Jose.
It connects buyers and sellers through auctions and fixed-price listings in almost every product category.
Those categories include collectibles, car parts, electronics, fashion, and refurbished goods.
6. NVIDIA
NVIDIA is headquartered at 2788 San Tomas Expressway in Santa Clara, California.
The company designs graphics processors and the accelerated computing platforms behind most modern AI systems.
Its product lines include GeForce RTX graphics cards, data center GPUs, and the CUDA software stack.
NVIDIA also builds platforms for robotics, autonomous vehicles, and industrial simulation.
7. Google
Google is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operates under parent company Alphabet.
It runs the world’s most used search engine, plus Google Cloud, Google Workspace, and Android.
Its hardware line covers Pixel phones and Nest home devices. Google also leads major research in artificial intelligence.
8. Intel
Intel is based in Santa Clara, California, and designs and manufactures microprocessors.
Its products power personal computers, servers, embedded systems, and networking equipment.
The portfolio also includes chipsets, memory technologies, and foundry services for other chip designers.
9. Intuit
Intuit is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and builds financial software.
QuickBooks handles accounting for small businesses, and TurboTax handles tax preparation for individuals.
The company also owns Credit Karma and Mailchimp, which extend it into credit and marketing tools.
10. Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies operates from Santa Clara, in the heart of Silicon Valley.
It makes analytical instruments, software, services, and consumables for scientific research.
Customers include pharmaceutical firms, clinical labs, chemical producers, and food safety testers.
Its portfolio spans chromatography, mass spectrometry, genomics, and diagnostics.
11. PayPal
PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, California, and handles online payments at global scale.
The platform covers checkout, money transfers, invoicing, and merchant services.
PayPal also owns Venmo and Braintree, serving peer-to-peer payments and developer payment infrastructure.
12. VMware
VMware is based in Palo Alto, California. It has been a division of Broadcom since the 2023 acquisition.
Its software lets organizations virtualize servers, storage, and networks on shared hardware.
That approach underpins private cloud and hybrid cloud estates in large enterprises.
The current flagship is VMware Cloud Foundation, sold as a single subscription.
13. Salesforce
Salesforce is headquartered in San Francisco and sells cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Its platform covers sales, service, marketing, commerce, and analytics in one connected system.
Salesforce also owns Slack, Tableau, and MuleSoft. Those acquisitions extend it into messaging, data visualization, and integration.
14. Apple
Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and designs consumer hardware, software, and services.
Its product line includes iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.
Apple builds its own operating systems, including iOS and macOS. Its services include the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, and Apple Pay.
15. Experian
Experian is a credit bureau and data business. Its North America headquarters sits at 475 Anton Blvd in Costa Mesa, California.
The group parent, Experian plc, is registered in Dublin, Ireland, and listed in London.
The North America arm supplies credit reports, credit scores, and identity protection to consumers and lenders.
Businesses use its data for lending decisions, fraud screening, and marketing analytics.
16. Broadcom Inc.
Broadcom Inc. is headquartered at 3421 Hillview Avenue in Palo Alto, California.
It designs and supplies semiconductors for networking, wireless, storage, and broadband.
Broadcom also runs a large infrastructure software business, built through its CA, Symantec, and VMware acquisitions.
17. Workday
Workday is headquartered in Pleasanton, California, and sells cloud software for HR and finance.
Its applications cover payroll, workforce planning, talent management, and financial analytics.
The platform targets mid-sized and large employers that want HR and finance data in one place.
18. Qualcomm
Qualcomm is headquartered at 5775 Morehouse Drive in San Diego, California.
It designs the wireless chipsets and modems used in a large share of the world’s smartphones.
Its Snapdragon platforms also power laptops, cars, wearables, and industrial devices.
Qualcomm earns significant revenue from licensing its cellular patent portfolio.
19. Netflix
Netflix has its principal executive offices at 121 Albright Way in Los Gatos, California.
It runs a streaming service available in more than 190 countries and 50 languages.
The company built its own recommendation systems, video encoding stack, and content delivery network.
Netflix also produces original film and television at scale, plus games and live events.
20. Square
Square is a payments brand of Block, Inc. Block lists its principal executive office in Oakland, California.
Square sells card readers, terminals, and point-of-sale software to small and mid-sized merchants.
The wider Block group also owns Cash App, Afterpay, and TIDAL.
Square was the company’s original name before the 2021 rebrand to Block.
Frequently asked questions
How do I shortlist a technology partner in California?
Start with the problem you need solved, not the vendor list. Write down the systems involved, the integrations required, and the outcome you will measure. Then ask each candidate for two references in your industry and at your size. A firm that cannot supply relevant references is usually the wrong fit.
What does it cost to work with a California tech company?
Cost depends on the pricing model, not the location. Enterprise software is usually sold per user per month, on annual contracts with volume discounts. Implementation and professional services are billed hourly or as a fixed project fee. Ask every vendor for total cost over three years, including support, training, and data migration.
Should I use a California vendor or outsource offshore?
It depends on which risk matters more to you. California vendors offer overlapping US time zones and deep specialist talent, at a higher rate. Offshore partners in the Philippines, India, or Eastern Europe cost less and scale faster. Many buyers run both. They keep product and architecture in house, then outsource support and back office work.
What should I check before signing a technology contract?
Read the service level agreement and confirm what happens when it is missed. Check who owns the data, how you export it, and how long an exit takes. Confirm the security certifications, such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and ask for the current report. Finally, check the renewal terms and any automatic price escalation.
Are the biggest California tech companies suitable for small businesses?
Many are, because most now sell tiered products aimed at smaller teams. The trade-off is support. Smaller accounts usually get self-service help rather than a named account manager. If you need hands-on guidance, add a certified implementation partner alongside the platform.
Independent
