What is the most influential corporation of all time?

JohnT · May 17, 2003, 00:21

And why?

Among those that I would think deserve consideration are

The British East India Company
Standard Oil
American Telephone and Telegraph
International Business Machines
Krupp

But I don't think the above can really top the world-changing influence of the Ford Motor Corporation. Henry Ford and the organization he took over in 1903 brought the industrial revolution to the masses, changing the lives of billions in the process. From the pace of our lives brought by the acceleration of the assembly line, to the development of the mass consumerist society (not to mention providing individual widespread mobility to hundreds of millions), Ford created a lifestyle revolution far more potent and longer lasting than anything the Communists planted. A man born in 1908 (when the Model T debuted) would see the world changed more in his 75 years than any person earlier in history who lived a comparable span.

"But Mr. Ford, the modern world demands..."
"Young man, I invented the modern world!"

Ted Striker · May 17, 2003, 00:25

JohnT I almost started a thread like this a few months ago.

Good thread.

I'll have to go with the British East India Tea Company

Fielding one of the most powerful armies in the world.

GePap · May 17, 2003, 00:26

Actually, i think the world changed more dramatically for a man born in 1808 than for one born in 1908. As for most important private corporation?....

Maybe the (dutch) East India company, the model for most corporations elsewhere, and helped open the way for europeans into asia, africa back in the day.

Ted Striker · May 17, 2003, 00:27

Oh you are just trying to be different.

JohnT · May 17, 2003, 00:29

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap
Actually, i think the world changed more dramatically for a man born in 1808 than for one born in 1908.

Yeah, that was the period of history that gave me pause... then I went ahead and put it in there anyway!

GePap · May 17, 2003, 00:30

JohnT never said other companies were excluded from the running, as long as you give a good reason for it.

And yes, I like being different

Urban Ranger · May 17, 2003, 00:31

You forgot one: the Hudson Bay Company. It was practically all of British North America.

cinch · May 17, 2003, 00:31

Hudson's Bay Company?

At least, Canada-wise. They controlled most of the country!

But even they cannot match the sheer power and ferocity that is WAL-MART!

Run!!!

EDIT: Curse you, UR! Now I look the fool!

GePap · May 17, 2003, 00:31

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnT

Yeah, that was the period of history that gave me pause... then I went ahead and put it in there anyway!

JohnT · May 17, 2003, 00:32

Yeah, if you wanna chime in with another company, go ahead. Note the opening words: "Among those deserving consideration..."

Urban Ranger · May 17, 2003, 00:42

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnT
Henry Ford and the organization he took over in 1903 brought the industrial revolution to the masses, changing the lives of billions in the process.

By disfranchising the workers, turning humans into cods of a large machine.

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnT
"But Mr. Ford, the modern world demands..."
"Young man, I invented the modern world!"

Of course, "his" modern world includes that of crass materialism, rampant environmental problems, the wasteful reliance on private transportation, which, of course, led to the rise of Big Oil and probably indirectly (at least in part) caused Gulf War II.

Good work Mr Ford.

SlowwHand · May 17, 2003, 00:50

Texas Instruments.

cinch · May 17, 2003, 00:51

Quote:

Of course, "his" modern world includes that of crass materialism, rampant environmental problems, the wasteful reliance on private transportation, which, of course, led to the rise of Big Oil and probably indirectly (at least in part) caused Gulf War II.

Plus, he was an anti-semite!

Ted Striker · May 17, 2003, 00:55

anti-semite means anti USA because jews run USA

GePap · May 17, 2003, 00:55

And all that you say Ur would still not disprove what JohnT said. being influential does not mean being nice.

Though i think Ford is given way too much credit (the myth of Ford).

Oh, and GM and the remnants of Standard Oil are responsible for Big Oil.

MRT144 · May 17, 2003, 00:59

Quote:

Originally posted by Ted Striker
anti-semite means anti USA because jews run USA

thank god for it

JohnT · May 17, 2003, 01:02

"By disfranchising the workers, turning humans into cods of a large machine."

The history of the Ford Motor company from 1903 to 1934 disabuses this notion, for the invention of the assembly line wasn't the notion of one person but the continual improvement of the process as suggested by the line workers themselves.

OTOH, the line itself is brutally hard physical work, especially for college boys like you and me, and it is true that Ford lost it's lead in progressivity in the 1930s with the ascenscien of Harry Bennett (possibly one of the worst corporate goons in history) and the decline of Henry Ford. Still, Walter Reuther and the UAW finally forced Ford into recognizing their right to collectively bargain for the line workers in 1938. Labor-wise, the company finally righted itself in 1945 when Henry Ford II took over and kicked out Bennett.

But a smart company never disenfranchises its workers, and a careful review of corporate history will prove that over and over. Henry Ford knew this, and made use of that fact.

"Of course, "his" modern world includes that of crass materialism, rampant environmental problems, the wasteful reliance on private transportation, which, of course, led to the rise of Big Oil and probably indirectly (at least in part) caused Gulf War II."

By making the fruits of the industrial revolution available for all, rather than the wealthy and the West. For starting the the idea that perhaps machines should build machines, leaving more ennobling tasks to men - this is a vast undertaking, one that will take centuries to complete.

"Big Oil" was already big in 1903. Or did you not hear about Teddy Roosevelt and the Trust Busters?

Private transportation is not wasteful, it is ennobling.

I note that you didn't deny what I said, while adding reasons of your own. So you agree with me then?

SlowwHand · May 17, 2003, 01:03

Hmm. I thought it kind of an ignorant comment to make.
With all due respect, of course.

notyoueither · May 17, 2003, 01:05

I can see Ford. Not the HBCo. Massive impact in Canada, but not much elsewhere.

IBM, and add Microsoft and you have a contender. IBM blew the game when they opted to go off the shelf for the PC and hired MS to write the OS. Microsoft took full advantage of the loop holes, et voila... the cheap PCs and computers in more and more homes. The full impact of that is yet to be felt.

Narz · May 17, 2003, 01:06

MicroProse

JohnT · May 17, 2003, 01:07

Yeah, but it was IBM who put it all together. They were the controlling force in the creation of the PC, regardless of what happened afterward.

Adam Smith · May 17, 2003, 01:10

I would vote for the British East India Company. Nothing like having an entire sub-continent to pillage with complete impunity.

Runner up goes to Standard Oil. To get a sense of its size at breakup in 1911, realize that Standard Oil was broken up into what is now Exxon, plus Mobil, plus the Amoco half of BP-Amoco, plus the Chevron half of Texaco, and a few other smaller companies. Contrary to popular belief, it is likely that Standard Oil attained its size through greater efficiencies, not by engaging in predation against its competitors. Think of it this way: How much would it cost you to start a price war if you only had 10 percent of the market? How much would it cost you to start a price war if you already had 50 percent of the market?

UR:

Remember that in the 1920's Ford offered an unheard of $5 per day wage. But this was not mere generosity on Ford's part. He knew he had to draw people to Detroit in order to man his factories. Hence the migration of blacks from the deep south to northern cities. However, I would agree that some of his political views and the Ford "Service Department" (edit: See JohnT's cross post) don't reflect well on him.

notyoueither · May 17, 2003, 01:10

No, it was going to be created regardless. They were rushed, hense off the shelf technology that they had no strangle hold on. Hense the clones. But all running MS software.

I spilt the deal between IBM and MS. IBM was too short sighted to see and blew the monopoly, MS saw all too well and created another.

cia · May 17, 2003, 01:13

Bell Labs boys and girls. Without which we would not be having this debate.

SlowwHand · May 17, 2003, 01:13

Who invented circuitry that PC's use?

The founder of T.I.

notyoueither · May 17, 2003, 01:16

Integrated circuits were due to a little more than one person, I think. And what did TI do with it? Made some good calculators.

JohnT · May 17, 2003, 01:17

Please note that I'm not talking just about the individual Henry Ford, but the organization as a whole. Fords anti-Semetic views did not express themselves through the corporation but rather through his ownership of the Dearborn Independent.

My number 2 choice would be ATT because they:

1. Invented, developed and ran the phone system for the US for a century or so
2. Discovered/confirmed the Big Bang
3. Invented the transistor

The power of Gutenberg coupled with the revelatory impact of Copernicus, all in one company. And, as a bonus, we'll throw in global real-time personal communications for the hell of it.

Pretty cool, huh?

SlowwHand · May 17, 2003, 01:20

I'll research that, and let you know.
His name escapes me, but I'm serious.

Calculators.

TCO · May 17, 2003, 01:21

Dupont is the answer. Chemistry is the thing that all this technology and manufacturing rest on. It's like in THE GRADUATE: "plastics".

BTW, did you know that at one time, Dupont owned a sizable chunk of GM? And that they built the Manhatten Project refining facilities (huge plant) for a dollar profit?

TCO · May 17, 2003, 01:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Adam Smith
I would vote for the British East India Company. Nothing like having an entire sub-continent to pillage with complete impunity.

Runner up goes to Standard Oil. To get a sense of its size at breakup in 1911, realize that Standard Oil was broken up into what is now Exxon, plus Mobil, plus the Amoco half of BP-Amoco, plus the Chevron half of Texaco, and a few other smaller companies. Contrary to popular belief, it is likely that Standard Oil attained its size through greater efficiencies, not by engaging in predation against its competitors. Think of it this way: How much would it cost you to start a price war if you only had 10 percent of the market? How much would it cost you to start a price war if you already had 50 percent of the market?

UR:

Remember that in the 1920's Ford offered an unheard of $5 per day wage. But this was not mere generosity on Ford's part. He knew he had to draw people to Detroit in order to man his factories. Hence the migration of blacks from the deep south to northern cities. However, I would agree that some of his political views and the Ford "Service Department" (edit: See JohnT's cross post) don't reflect well on him.

My reading of THE PRIZE is a little different. And there are plenty of ways to be predatory without price wars. And plenty of reasons for being big and ways of getting big without price wars.