Stripe is the most underrated—and influential—$159 billion company in the world

When Stripe moved into its first office in Palo Alto about 15 years ago, its founders (brothers Patrick and John Collison) did what every tiny startup does: They drove to Ikea to buy cheap desks and chairs. As they started to unload their haul in their new space, though, they unwittingly revealed one of the traits that would lead Stripe to revolutionize internet payments, company formation, and more. After they put down some of the boxes, they started sprinting back to the car.