General Electric - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Description

"GE" redirects here. For other uses of "GE", see Ge (disambiguation)

Not to be confused with the British company General Electric Company plc (GEC).

The General Electric Company , or GE NYSE GE ) is a multinational American technology and services conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York. In terms of market capitalization as of September 30, 2008, GE is the world's third largest company and also second in the BrandZ ranking . In the 1960s, aspects of U.S. tax laws and accounting practices led to a rise in the assembly of conglomerates . GE, which was a conglomerate long before the term was coined, is arguably the most successful organization of this type. edit History

In 1876, Ohio -born Thomas Edison opened a new laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey . Out of the laboratory came arguably one of the most famous inventions of all—a practical incandescent electric lamp . By 1890, Edison had organized his various businesses into the Edison General Electric Company

In 1879, Elihu Thomson and Edwin J. Houston formed the rival Thomson-Houston Electric Company . It merged with various companies and was later led by Charles A. Coffin , a former shoe manufacturer from Lynn, Massachusetts Mergers with competitors and the patent rights owned by each company made them dominant in the electrical industry. As businesses expanded, it became increasingly difficult for either company to produce complete electrical installations relying solely on their own technology.

In 1892, these two major companies combined, in a merger arranged by financier J. P. Morgan , to form the General Electric Company, with its headquarters in Schenectady, New York

In 1896, General Electric was one of the original 12 companies listed on the newly-formed Dow Jones Industrial Average and still remains after 112 years (it is the only one of ...

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