Companies around the world have changed the lives of the consumers they provide services and products for. Some have been around for over 50 years while others are still in their infancy having been fabricated after 2000. Sheer numbers do not define this top 25 list though, instead how they influence is more important.
From BusinessWeek:
The core characteristics of influence are unchanged, whether it's inspiring a loyal following, spawning big ideas, or building up mammoth market share. What has changed is how players achieve it. A company's physical assets are less important now than the force of its ideas. In the age of blogging and instant communication, consumers are less the recipients of corporate influence than powerful actors who help shape it.
The top 25 Most Influential Companies Are:
1. Wal-Mart
2. Toyota
3. Saudi Aramco
4. JPMorgan Chase
5. Unilever
6. China Mobile
7. Microsoft
8. News Corp.
9. 3M
10. Apple
11. Google
12. Huawei
13. Monsanto
14. YKK
15. Nielsen
16. Jarden
17. Intuit
18. Autodesk
19. HCL Technologies
20. Japan Steel Works
21. Sirius XM
22. Facebook
23. SKS Microfinance
24. Li & Fung Ltd.
25. Craigslist
What we found interesting from this list were the stories behind some of these companies. Sirius XM with commercial free radio, Apple with the iPhone, Toyota and their movement for fuel efficiency, and even the simple site Craigslist which still bodes its original design has influenced millions of lives.
Do you agree or disagree with this list? Share your thoughts below via comment.
Source:
The World's Most Influential Companies
Jena McGregor, BusinessWeek
Thursday December 18th, 2008
Good list, I think Google should be higher for its impact on the internet.
Awesome list Blain!
I am very surprised to see Craigslist on there although I love using it! I also wonder how JP gets to #4 beating out some of the most tech savvy groups in the world.
They must have done something big to get that high, I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps when they originally founded the business model itself was brand new.
Is Wal-Mart more influential for its promotion of child labor or its ability to keep employee costs as low as physically possible?
I think the reason Google is not higher is due to the argument that they were not the original innovaters behind internet search. They just took search to the "next level".
I am surprised Exxon Mobil or IBM didn't make the cut.
I'm even more surprised that McDonald's is not on the list. With a presence in nearly every country in the world, it definitely has to be one of the most influential companies of all time.