Why is everybody leading?

Really just a random thought about vendors describing themselves. How on earth can everybody be leading? By running a quick Google search on "the leading provider of", it's showing almost 7M (in words: seven million!) hits. No way, José.

I mean, if the mega-vendors or any multi-billion dollar company claims leadership of some sort, I would at least acknowledge that due to their size, they may be leading a few particular market spaces. But even they are not leading in every market. Moreover, if small company PR reads "XYZ, the leading provider of such-and-such software ..." I can't help it but think "That's a bunch of BS." Of course, nobody will say "we are the trailing provider...", but I'd say in any market hardly anybody is truly leading. Maybe growing, up-and-coming, global, whatever provider of something, but not leading.

How many leader positions can one market have? Is it possible that those companies below, typically fiercely competing, are all leading? All quotes direct pick-up off the Web.

• Business Objects is the leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions
• Cognos is the world leader in performance planning and business intelligence
• Hyperion, the leading provider of Business Performance Management solutions
• Information Builders is the leader in Web Business Intelligence
• MicroStrategy is the leading provider of business intelligence software
• SAS as the leading provider of business intelligence

and then there are those "leaders"

• Celequest is the leading provider of operational business intelligence (BI) solutions
• Informa Telecoms & Media is the leading provider of business intelligence
• HP is the leading provider of BI infrastructure and solutions
• TARGIT A/S, the leading provider of business intelligence solutions
  

Either I have hardly heard of those companies, or (as in HP's case, I heard of them, they sell ink) I didn't even consider them as a provider of BI of any sort, let alone leading anything. I guess those PR folks are trying to play spin doctor here in order to find some leader's attribute. How about "Joe Bloggs Inc, the leading provider of business intelligence solutions for dental labs in the greater Milwaukee area, with 3 but no more than 7 employees, of which 2 have recently gotten married and nobody wears glasses." A true leader just needs to find its niche to lead.