In 2010, Tesla Motors made history by being the first American automaker to debut on public markets since Ford’s IPO in 1956. Opening at $17 per share, the company raised $226 million from its initial offering.
Today, the company trades over $35, and Musk’s reported stake of 32% is valued at over $1 billion. With Elon Musk behind the wheel, it appears that Tesla Motors is cruising in the right direction.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Everyone knows the Steve Jobs story. He founded Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in 1976 with Steve Wozniak, left in 1985 after power struggles with the board, founded NeXT and Pixar, came back in 1996, and eventually conquered the world of consumer electronics before his death in 2011.
Tim Cook took over shortly before the death of Steve Jobs and was tasked with maintaining the incredible level of quality, attention to detail, and simplicity that defined the products that facilitated the greatest turnaround in business history. On Aug. 20, 2012, Apple became the most valuable stock to have ever traded when it closed the day with a market cap of $665.15 billion. The previous record was held by Microsoft’s $623.5 billion market cap on Dec. 30, 1999.
However, the past six months have been harsh for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). After hitting an all-time high of $705.07, shares of the company slid to a 52-week low of $435. After reporting earnings that missed analyst expectations, many investors appeared skeptical of the company’s ability to maintain strong growth and record-shattering profits with its new management team and increasingly fierce competition. But, with an estimated $137 billion in cash reserves, the company also appears to be in a great position to innovate and experiment in a variety of new industries, such as TV’s and wearable computing.
Apple’s future is certainly a mystery. There’s no denying that the influence of Steve Jobs still exists within the company’s products and designs to this day. With brand new concepts and ideas soon-to-be revealed at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), we’ll finally see if Tim Cook will be able to guide the company to higher highs, or if investors will always be doomed to say “remember when?”
In Summary
Many companies rise and fall due to the vision and ability of their leaders. Every person mentioned in this article has or had a unique vision for the future of their company and – by extension – for the world. I want to thank you for reading this brief glimpse of some of the most capable leaders of the world’s most popular companies. In the comments, feel free to tell the world about your favorite founder or CEO!
As usual, this is by no means an endorsement of any stock or a recommendation to buy or sell any stock. My goal is simply to educate, amuse, and enrich. Thanks for reading!
The article Get To Know Your CEO originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Nathan Bradham.
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