Businesspeople are encouraged (and warned) to take the long view as regards the future, but it’s instructive from time to time to take the long view as regards the past as well.
To that end, the American Business History Center offer three views of American business the past 30 years. Each of the three links below allow you to watch the rankings of the top 20 US firms in terms of market value, number of employees and profitability change in real time from 1993-2023. You can watch 30 years of business history is less than three minutes for each of these time series.
Most Valuable American Companies 1995-2024
Largest American Employers 1994-2023: (One company was the number one employer for nearly the entire 30 years. Can you guess who it is?)
Highest Profit US Companies 1994-2023
The change in the American business landscape over a generation is scary for the current winners, hopeful for those aspiring to greatness…and instructive for everyone.
For a deeper dived into success and failure, let me remind you about a book I’ve featured here before: Jim Collins’ least well known book (but in some ways most important offering) “How the Mighty Fall” which explores the reason successful companies end up on the “ash heap” of business history. If you want the short version, this 24-minute interview of Jim Collins with Charlie Rose summarizing the book is a must see.
