11. Microsoft Redmond only nudged the earnings needle up by 3%, to $12.6 billion. But that's enough to make it one of the Fortune 500's most profitable corporations. Still, Gates & company have their work cut out for them as they try to adapt to an increasingly Web-centric software arena. | Wal-Mart retakes the No. 1 slot on the Fortune 500 this year. See where America's largest corporations rank, and why. (more) See the 37 companies that made both the Fortune 1000 and Best Companies to Work For lists this year. (more) |