Today we publish the last of our series of four annual animated charts on the top American public companies, focused on the largest employers. This list may seem to change more gradually than our prior lists based on revenues, stock market valuations, and profits. Yet a look at the first frame of the animation, shown above, indicates that over the decades, some significant shifts have taken place. See both Sears and Kmart near the top just thirty years ago.
When one considers the complexity of running an organization, the number of people involved may be a pretty good proxy for how hard the job is. The fact some of these behemoths can even function, let alone react to change and adapt, is a miracle of our economic system.
There is also a YouTube video of the chart here.
We hope you enjoy studying trends and learning how things change through time as much as we do, as it is the best way to see the future.
Gary Hoover
Executive Director
American Business History Center
