>> I do wonder how many people know that the wealthiest companies are private Some of the largest companies are state-run. If that's what you mean by "private"

>> I do wonder how many people know that the wealthiest companies are private Some of the largest companies are state-run. If that's what you mean by "private" companies, then yes this is true. But I think that when people say "private" company, they generally envision wealthy individual or family owners, not state owned entities. If by private, you do mean wealthy individuals/families and not states, then this is doubtful. Apple sold over $200 million iphones last year at a large profit margin, and that is why they are a giant company. Even with exceptionally high revenues per employee, Apple employs over 100,000 people. It's not easy to just disguise what you're doing at that level. There are definitely some very wealthy families out there whose finances are opaque. However, it's doubtful that any of them are secretly running companies anywhere near the scale of Apple.