Quick question: Which tech company has more debt than nearly every other company in America? The answer is likely to surprise you. It’s Apple.
As of the September quarter, Apple had $114.5 billion in debt. That puts it only behind AT&T, Ford and GE for how much money it owes, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, excluding financial-sector firms. Apple, of course, also sits atop the list of cash reserves in corporate America, with $237 billion. So it could pay off all its debt overnight and still hold more cash than any other company. And it generates tens of billions more every year, which even with slower sales of iPhones is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. So despite its debt, Apple heads up the list of tech companies with the strongest balance sheets.