In the corporate world, leadership changes are practically expected. CEOs come and go, boards shuffle seats, and strategies pivot with the seasons. For most large corporations, the founding vision eventually gives way to the influence of successors, but every once in a while, a company manages to scale the peaks of the Fortune 1000 while still being led by the very person who dreamed it up in the first place.

Going from running a business out of your garage to managing a multi-billion-dollar operation requires an impressive mix of genius, grit, and endurance that most would struggle to sustain across decades of board meetings, bold bets, and bottom-line pressure.

So, what does it take to build a business worth billions and still be the one calling the shots? To find out, our team at The Chartistry has pulled together a graphic that maps out the largest companies in the U.S. that are still being run by the same people who started them.

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Tech Giants Still Calling the Shots

The tech industry can be a volatile market, especially when billions of dollars are at stake every year, making founder-CEOs in this space a rare species. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook (now Meta), is a headline example. From the scrappy days of coding in his Harvard dorm to overseeing Meta’s $134.9 billion revenue machine, he hasn’t let go of the reins. His company now ranks 30th on the Fortune 1000 list, but it continues to operate under the umbrella of Zuckerberg’s vision.

Jensen Huang of NVIDIA is another powerhouse. He co-founded the company in 1993 and continues to lead it as CEO and President. NVIDIA is now a central player in the AI boom, raking in over $60.9 billion in 2024. The company landed at #65 on the Fortune list, and much of that momentum can be traced back to Huang’s technical savvy and leadership style.

Another founder-CEO of a big tech company is Michael Dell. After founding Dell Technologies in 1984, Dell stepped away briefly before returning to steer the company through its privatization and subsequent return to public markets. With $88.43 billion in revenue, it holds spot #48 on the list.

Long-Hauler Founders of the Biggest U.S. Companies

Wall Street can be brutal, yet some of the longest-tenured company founders make the ranks in this industry. Richard Fairbank has run Capital One since 1987, long before online banking was the norm. Under his leadership, the company pulled in $49.48 billion last year.

Larry Fink’s story is equally impressive. He co-founded BlackRock in 1988 and helped turn it into the world’s largest asset manager. It now generates $17.86 billion annually.

Then there’s Mark Millett, who co-founded Steel Dynamics in 1993. It might not make splashy headlines like tech and finance, but this steel manufacturer generated $18.8 billion last year, proving that innovation can lead to immense success in any space.

Is Elon Musk Actually the Founder of Tesla?

Elon Musk is arguably the most high-profile figure on the list, but his relationship with Tesla’s origins is less straightforward than the others on our list. Tesla was actually founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003. Musk joined shortly after as an investor and took a more active role over time. It wasn’t until a legal settlement in 2009 that Musk was “officially” determined to be a co-founder, along with four others. Today, he serves as the CEO and public face of Tesla, a company that posted $96.77 billion in revenue in 2024.

Why Are They Still Here?

While circumstances vary and some CEO-Founders stick around long after what’s best for the company, research seems to support that many of them remain the right person for the job. A Harvard Business Review study found that companies led by their founders outperformed others in market valuation by 10% over the long term. Especially in the early days when the potential rewards are higher, founders tend to prioritize innovation, take bigger strategic bets, and maintain a stronger emotional commitment to the company’s mission.

Additionally, founder-CEOs often make faster decisions, have deeper customer intuition, and are more adaptable when navigating new markets. These traits help fuel long-term growth and can serve as a stabilizing force in times of disruption. That said, success depends on their ability to scale alongside the business. The most effective founders seem to grow their leadership style as the company matures, surrounding themselves with experienced teams while staying grounded in the original vision.

In many cases, large companies will also adopt dual-class stock structures, which help founders maintain some control even as ownership becomes more distributed.

Out of the 1,000 biggest companies in America, only 59 are still run by their founders. Amounting to less than 6 percent, it’s both inspiring and daunting how successful many of their companies have become.

Along with shaping industries and building legacies, they’re keeping their original visions alive in a world that often trades the leadership of innovative founders for business-savvy executives. Their stories serve as a reminder that leadership is about commitment and conviction as much as it is about keeping a business running.

At The Chartistry, we know that there’s a great story behind every dataset. Explore more trends in executive leadership, company growth, and market innovation in America’s largest companies on our Business Visualization page. Or, if you’re looking for more inspiring stories of success, check out our Finance Visualizations.

Founders of Major Corporations Still Serving as CEO

The list of America’s largest companies that are still run by the person who founded them is based on data from Fortune’s list of the 1,000 biggest companies in the United States. Just 59 of the 1,000 biggest U.S. companies are still run by the person who founded them. The founder must be the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, as of June 2025, to be included.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/

Corporate Websites

Spending money is a deeply personal choice, but it can still signal values, needs, and priorities on a larger scale. The team at Qualtrics specifically examined what different generations spend extra money on. In the team’s data, we can see patterns that could show how much extra money different generations have to spend, what conveniences make an impact on them, and how cultural values drive their spending habits.

The team created two visuals; one shows the top three spending categories for Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. Next, they listed 18 different spending categories and showed what percentage of each generation is likely to splurge on this category. The results are a fascinating generational study!

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The youngest adult generation, Gen Z, struggles with expenses like high-cost housing, student debt, and low wages for entry-level jobs. Gen Z probably has the least money to splurge, but they still find ways to buy treats. 37% of Gen Z said they are likely to splurge on bars and restaurants. This was one of the only spending categories that was unanimous among every generation. It seems everyone wants to skip cooking and enjoy a restaurant now and again.

Millennials, who are in their late twenties to early forties, are most likely to be parents who are balancing busy careers with family life. They’re most likely to splurge on dining out as well, but they’re also uniquely likely to splurge on groceries. This could be attributed to the cost of grocery deliveries through apps like Postmates. Millennials were the first generation to embrace grocery delivery apps, and it might be a helpful time-saving splurge for busy parents and professionals.

Gen X represents people at the far end of their careers and working lives. They’re at the perfect point to have some money to spend on rewards for their lives of hard work. Like every other generation, many said they’d splurge on dining out, but they’re also highly likely to splurge on travel. This makes sense since many members of Gen X are in good health to travel and don’t have the constraints of children to hold them back. They travel solo, with groups, family, or friends.

As for Baby Boomers, the oldest generation, most of them are retired now. Like Gen X, many say they’re likely to splurge on travel to see the places they’ve spent a lifetime dreaming of visiting. They have some splurging habits in common with younger generations, spending extra money on conveniences and necessities like groceries.

The team’s data reflects what different age groups find most important in life and indicates how much money they can use on a splurge. It’s telling that older generations splurge on travel, a high expense that younger generations likely can’t afford. There’s no doubt that we can draw many thought-provoking conclusions from the data we find on these graphics.

People who want to jump into the real estate investment market have an important question to contend with: Which city should they invest their money in? The team at LLC Attorney has arrived with answers in their new study, which condenses tons of information on the real estate market to identify the 50 best cities for first-time investors. Each town has its own unique characteristics, benefits, and setbacks, but as the team proves, they each offer a powerful incentive for real estate investors.

The team started their study by pulling the 100 most populated cities from the Real Estate Investment Index and pinpointing their 50 ideal cities. The towns on their list are affordable, have high rental income potential, and have landlord-friendly laws. To create their list, the team considered state-level laws on rentals, rent-controlled cities, and the job market in each location. Their potential rental income calculations are based on average monthly rent, median home sale price, gross rental yield, and the market temperature. As for landlord-friendliness, the team considered average eviction time, security deposit limit, and rent control laws.

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Out of all 50 cities, the team determined that Port St. Lucie, Florida, is the best city for first-time real estate investors to buy property. This growing city shows no signs of slowing, with median property sale prices lower than other major Florida cities, like Miami and Tampa. The job market in Port St. Lucie is strong in healthcare and education, and business-friendly for entrepreneurs. These factors all combine to represent a city that’s attracting more residents every day. It will be a reliable source of rental income for investors.

Cape Coral, Florida, took the second-place spot for similar reasons. Low property taxes, a growing population, and residents flocking to beaches and parks for seasonal living push up the Cape Coral housing demand and rental potential. The lone midwestern city in the top four is Cleveland, Ohio, drawing in investors with affordable housing and lots of demand because of the strong employers based in this lakeside city. Garland, Texas, comes in fourth with more affordable housing than neighboring Dallas, while still located close to all the dining and entertainment that Dallas offers. Popular Garland employers include FedEx, Interceramic USA, Presbyterian Hospital, and Arena Brands, Inc.

In addition to focusing on the 50 cities the team lists, they suggest that first-time investors look to more seasoned investors for advice. Many expert investors speak at conferences, publish guidebooks, and produce educational videos to share their knowledge. Networking with fellow investors is another great way for new investors to gain support and learn quickly. There are countless networking opportunities on social media and in local groups like your local chamber of commerce. Last, investors need to decide whether they’re looking to buy property close to home that they can maintain themselves, or property far away, in which case they’ll need to hire a property manager. No matter your path, the LLC Attorney team offers a great start with this data.