# Definition of a "tech company"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 10, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808 "2019-07-10T00:12:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/1 "2019-07-10T00:12:14Z")

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What makes a company a “tech company”? The term seems to be used in misleading and inconsistent ways. For example WeWork is often referred to as a tech company, even though most of their revenue comes from renting real estate.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/2 "2019-07-10T00:13:56Z")

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A tech company is a company which the mainstream press refers to as a “tech company.”

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/3 "2019-07-10T01:14:54Z")

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Uber is called a tech company. They are a transportation contractor that uses technology in new ways.

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/4 "2019-07-10T01:59:31Z")

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And when did we shift from “high tech” (usually the design and manufacture of snazzy electronic stuff) to just “tech” where the main product is coding, and often obscure, and their means of making money is even more obscure?

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/5 "2019-07-10T03:36:09Z")

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Around here, I’ve heard Nike called a high tech company. Probably because there’s so many Washington County (Oregon) high tech companies (the largest of which is Intel) and they’re headquartered in that county.

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**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/6 "2019-07-10T08:24:47Z")

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> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> Uber is called a tech company. They are a transportation contractor that uses technology in new ways.

Their entire business is based on their technology - it’s the only commodity they trade it, not vehicles. What they use that technology for is immaterial. It could be something entirely unrelated to transport next. By the very definition, they are a tech company.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definition-of-a-tech-company/836808/7 "2019-07-10T08:51:51Z")

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