Business Visualizations

The Largest Companies in America That Are Still Run by the Person Who Founded Them

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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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Businesses Still Run by Their Founders

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.

 

Rank Company Forbes 1000 Rank
(as of July 2024)
Revenue
in Billions
(as of July 2024)
CEO Name Year Founded Title
(as of June 2025)
1 Meta Platforms 30 $134.90 Mark Zuckerberg 2004 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
2 Tesla 40 $96.77 Elon Musk 2003
(Musk was designated as one of five co-founders in 2009 via a settlement.)
Co-Founder, CEO
3 Dell Technologies 48 $88.43 Michael Dell 1984 Founder, CEO, Chairman
4 NVIDIA 65 $60.92 Jensen Huang 1993 Co-Founder, CEO, President
5 Capital One Financial 91 $49.48 Richard Fairbank 1987 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
6 Salesforce 123 $34.86 Marc Benioff 1999 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
7 Apollo Global Management 136 $32.64 Marc Rowan 1990 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
8 Coupang 168 $24.38 Bom Kim 2010 Founder, CEO, Chairman
9 Block 186 $21.92 Jack Dorsey 2009 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
10 Steel Dynamics 221 $18.80 Mark Millett 1993 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
11 BlackRock 231 $17.86 Larry Fink 1988 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
12 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals 311 $13.12 Leonard Schleifer 1988 Co-Founder, CEO, President, Co-Chairman
13 Wayfair 346 $12.00 Niraj Shah 2002 Co-Founder, CEO, Co-Chairman
14 Carvana 377 $10.77 Ernest Garcia III 2012 Co-Founder, CEO, President, Chairman
15 Airbnb 396 $9.92 Brian Chesky 2008 Co-Founder, CEO
16 Intercontinental Exchange 397 $9.90 Jeffrey Sprecher 2000 Founder, CEO, Chairman
17 Sanmina 433 $8.94 Jure Sola 1980 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
18 DoorDash 443 $8.64 Tony Xu 2013 Co-Founder, CEO
19 Prologis 463 $8.02 Hamid Moghadam 1983 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
20 Blackstone 464 $8.02 Stephen Schwarzman 1985 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
21 Skechers U.S.A. 465 $8.00 Robert Greenberg 1992 Founder, CEO, Chairman
22 Super Micro Computer 498 $7.12 Charles Liang 1993 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
23 Insperity 541 $6.49 Paul Sarvadi 1986 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
24 Under Armour 577 $5.90 Kevin Plank 1995 Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
25 SS&C Technologies Holdings 600 $5.50 William Stone 1986 Founder, CEO, Chairman
26 Fortinet 622 $5.31 Ken Xie 2000 Founder, CEO, Chairman
27 Urban Outfitters 635 $5.15 Richard Hayne 1970 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
28 Ares Management 644 $4.99 Michael Arougheti 1997 Co-Founder, CEO, Director
29 Nexstar Media Group 648 $4.93 Perry Sook 1996 Founder, CEO, Chairman
30 Compass 654 $4.89 Robert Reffkin 2012 Co-Founder, CEO
31 EPAM Systems 669 $4.69 Arkadiy Dobkin 1993 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
32 Antero Resources 670 $4.68 Paul Rady 2002 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
33 Snap 679 $4.61 Evan Spiegel 2011 Co-Founder, CEO, Director
34 Zoom Video Communications 683 $4.53 Eric Yuan 2011 Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
35 Rivian Automotive 692 $4.43 RJ Scaringe 2009 Founder, CEO
36 PriceSmart 697 $4.41 Robert Price 1993 Co-Founder, CEO (until Sept. ‘25), Chairman
37 eXp World Holdings 708 $4.28 Glenn Sanford 2008 Founder, CEO, Chairman
38 Toast 766 $3.87 Aman Narang 2012 Co-Founder, CEO, Director
39 Akamai Technologies 771 $3.81 Dr. Tom Leighton 1998 Co-Founder, CEO
40 ScanSource 776 $3.79 Michael Baur 1992 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
41 Dream Finders Homes 784 $3.75 Patrick Zalupski 2008 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
42 Century Communities 794 $3.69 Robert Francescon 2002 Co-Founder, CEO, President, Director
43 Euronet Worldwide 796 $3.69 Michael Brown 1994 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
44 DraftKings 798 $3.67 Jason Robins 2011 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
45 Atlassian 811 $3.54 Mike Cannon-Brookes 2002 Co-Founder, CEO
46 Roku 820 $3.49 Anthony Wood 2002 Founder, CEO, Chairman
47 Cheesecake Factory 828 $3.44 David Overton 1972 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
48 Chefs’ Warehouse 830 $3.43 Christopher Pappas 1985 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman, President
49 AppLovin 847 $3.28 Adam Foroughi 2012 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
50 PACS Group 869 $3.11 Jason Murray 2013 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
51 Coinbase Global 870 $3.11 Brian Armstrong 2012 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
52 CrowdStrike 883 $3.06 George Kurtz 2011 Founder, CEO
53 Matador Resources 930 $2.81 Joseph Wm. Foran 2003 Founder, CEO, Chairman
54 Viasat 932 $2.80 Mark Dankberg 1986 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
55 Roblox 935 $2.80 David Baszucki 2004 Co-Founder, CEO
56 ProFrac Holding 971 $2.63 Ladd Wilks 2016 Co-Founder, CEO
57 Playtika Holding 982 $2.57 Robert Antokol 2010 Co-Founder, CEO, Chairman
58 Stagwell 993 $2.53 Mark Penn 2021 Founder, CEO, Chairman
59 Dropbox 997 $2.50 Drew Houston 2007 Co-Founder, CEO

 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/

Corporate Websites

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Business Visualizations

Study Examines the Logo Rebrands That Led to Big Increases in Web Traffic

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Logos are among the most dramatic and important aspects of marketing, shaping how consumers view a brand in ways that aren’t always visible. Logo designs are based on psychology, which informs us how shapes and colors make us feel, and how they can shape a brand’s trustworthiness and credibility. If a brand changes its logo, it must be done with care and intention, and with a clear reason to justify the switch. The team at LogoMaker displays the most effective logo switches and rebrands in a graphic based on increased web traffic.

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The 35 Logo Redesigns and Rebrands That Led to the Greatest Increases in Web Traffic

The team chose web traffic as an indicator of a successful logo because in the world of marketing, clicks and traffic are closely linked with sales and brand awareness. It’s a quantifiable way to measure customer behavior. The team used SEMrush traffic data to estimate traffic changes in the three months leading up to their rebrand announcement, compared with the two months after the launch. Their graph isolates traffic rates to the time of the rebrand to get the most accurate depiction of the effects. The team also helpfully included the old and new logos so readers can form their own opinions about changes.

According to the team’s results, these were the brands with the biggest traffic increases after their new logo launched:

  • Pfizer
  • MLB
  • Premier League
  • The Guardian
  • Southwest
  • VISA
  • Target
  • Jaguar
  • IHOP
  • Spotify

We see a wide range of industries represented in these results. Pfizer takes the lead after redesigning its logo from a pill shape to a double helix. This is also a good example of other factors, in addition to the rebrand, causing the traffic spikes. The rebrand occurred in 2021, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was hoping for a company like Pfizer to develop an effective vaccine.

After Pfizer, we see a few sports leagues on the chart. Major League Soccer, or MLS, is in second place, followed by the UK’s Premier League in third. Both of them dramatically simplified their logos, making them clearer and possibly more memorable, as the increased traffic indicates. In fact, many of the companies on the list seem to have opted for simpler logo designs. This is quite possibly so the logos are more visible when they’re small, like on a phone screen. This could also reflect a changing aesthetic, shifting from the more stylized and classical designs of the 90s and 00s to today’s more bold, minimalist style.

The trend toward minimalist logo redesign reflects evolving consumer preferences and the demands of digital media. Companies across diverse industries, from pharmaceuticals to sports and retail, are embracing simpler, more impactful designs that enhance brand recognition and visibility in an increasingly mobile world. These changes not only boost traffic but also demonstrate how branding adapts to cultural shifts and technological advancements, helping organizations stay relevant and competitive in today’s fast-paced landscape.

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Business Visualizations

Find the Places in the U.S. Where People Are Most Eager to Find a Job

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Job searching is stressful and the current employment market isn’t the strongest. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that the average job search lasts 23.3 weeks. That’s a long haul. The World Economic Forum does see the market becoming more dynamic soon with new and emerging job opportunities. Qualtrics added to this top with a new map showing where we’ll find the most active job seekers in the U.S. They drew on data from the BLS’s American Time Use Survey.

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Where in the United States are people the most eager to get a job?

The team’s main visual for their data is a color-coded map of the 50 states, ranked by the percentage of residents who reported engaging in job-seeking activities. These could include looking for work, wanting a job, submitting applications, intending to seek work soon, looking at job ads, or attending job training. Five states had to be excluded from the ranking because of insufficient survey data. This included Hawaii, Vermont, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

These states were found to have the most people wanting new jobs:

  1. Alaska — 23.81% (standout leader)
  2. Idaho — 17.24%
  3. California — 13.33%
  4. Oklahoma — 12.5%
  5. Nevada & New Hampshire — tied at 11.9%
  6. Iowa — 11.28%
  7. Washington — 9.95%
  8. Oregon — 9.04%
  9. Virginia — 8.84%

This list shows Western and Pacific states dominating the top. Alaska as a standout leader might come as a surprise because it’s not due to a job shortage. There is actually a workforce shortage in Alaska. In 2024, Alaska created 5,400 new jobs with more expected in 2025. $20 billion in infrastructure development is expected to generate 20,000 more jobs by 2030. So, Alaska’s high job-seeking activity reflects a growing, dynamic economy with ample room for pivots and career changes.

States with the lowest rankings were Kentucky (1.32%), Arkansas (1.83%), and Missouri (3.26%). These states may have lower unemployment rates, different market conditions, or demographic factors that influenced their ranking. The data make it clear that job-seeking activity varies widely by state, tied to local economic conditions, perhaps more so than national trends. Job seekers should take advantage of training programs, the federal jobs board, and role-specific job search sites. It also shows that securing talent is only one step toward building a loyal, long-term workforce. Only 42% of workers feel engaged, which is a major reason they may seek new jobs.

Beyond a snapshot of where Americans are currently looking for work, these data points to a bigger reality: labor-market “energy” is uneven, and high job-seeking activity can signal opportunity as much as instability. In states like Alaska, movement may reflect an expanding, restructuring economy in which workers feel empowered (or required) to pivot as new roles and industries emerge. For job seekers, the practical takeaway is to align search strategy with local conditions. Prioritize skills-building and credentials that travel across employers, use targeted boards and training pipelines, and treat mobility as a long-term advantage rather than a short-term disruption. Organizations and individuals that read these regional signals early and invest accordingly will be best positioned to thrive as the economy continues to evolve.

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Business Visualizations

Research Uncovers the Industries with the Highest Turnover Rates in the U.S.

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The Qualtrics research team examined the employee turnover rates across American industries to identify which sectors struggle the most with workforce retention and which offer the greatest stability. The team defined a turnover rate as the percentage of hires, layoffs, and quits among an industry’s workforce. Turnover rates can vary widely across industries and can indicate a range of conditions for workers, from economic instability to dangerous jobs with high injury rates. High turnover can also be very costly for the businesses within those industries.

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The team created a chart to visualize data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They measured hire rates, layoff/discharge rates, and quit rates. Here are the top 5 results from each category:

The highest hiring rates: Arts, entertainment, and recreation; accommodation and food services; leisure and hospitality; retail trade; and professional and business services.

The highest layoff/discharge rates: Arts, entertainment, and recreation; professional and business services; construction; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; and mining and logging.

The highest quit rates: Accommodation and food services; leisure and hospitality; retail trade; professional and business services; trade, transportation, and utilities.

Arts and entertainment stand out as a highly unstable industry with high hiring and layoff rates, meaning it has by far the highest turnover. On the low end of these measures, we find the federal government and finance sectors.

High turnover rates should concern more than employees. They don’t favor businesses either. Hiring new workers can be very expensive, as the business must cover job advertising, recruitment agency fees, training costs, and other onboarding expenses. According to Cornell University, it costs an average of $5,864 to replace an employee. If we examine the high-turnover food service industry, we find that a restaurant with 50 employees would need to replace two employees per month at a 4.7% turnover rate. Over the course of the year, replacing two employees a month would cost the restaurant $150,000. Setting aside the costs, high turnover can disrupt workflow and add workload and stress for staff, lowering morale, quality, and brand reputation. We saw this happen in another high-turnover industry. Both the Screen Actors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild have made headlines for massive strikes that delayed film projects for years.

The team pointed out that a report from the Society for Human Resource Management identified the top three reasons for turnover as employee dissatisfaction with compensation, lack of career development, and workplace inflexibility. These are all common factors in the industries with the highest rates. Industries like food service, retail, and hospitality all have high levels of burnout, employees who feel they’re in stagnant careers, and demanding schedules that require work on weekends and holidays. These factors create unsatisfied workers who don’t stick around in the industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic led many people to consider the importance of workplace safety and a work culture that makes employees feel the company takes their health seriously. There were high turnover rates during this time across industries, and we learned that many companies fell short in protecting workers from illness. The Qualtrics study is packed full of data points with far-reaching implications like these.

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