• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Fortune 500

5 Things You Don’t Know (But Should) About GE

By
Chris Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 16, 2016, 12:01 PM ET
General Electric Building In Chicago
Exterior view of the General Electric office building at 840 South Canal Street in Chicago, IL, June 1941. View shows the front of the building featuring the General Electric sign with logo. It is a six-story brick office building. (Photo by Hedrich Blessing Collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images)Photograph by Hedrich Blessing Collection/Chicago History Museum — Getty Images

General Electric is such an iconic American company that you might think you know everything about it already. Not necessarily so. After all, it’s not exactly your father’s General Electric any more.

In fact the industrial giant is undergoing a rather dramatic strategic pivot under longtime CEO Jeff Immelt, shedding some familiar businesses in the process. It’s no easy task for such a massive ship to change direction: Those changes hurt revenue last year, knocking GE out of the Fortune 500’s top 10 for the first time in decades, to No. 11. The company also posted more than $6 billion in losses in 2015, on $140 billion in revenues. But shareholders, at least, have been pleased about the recent moves.

Here are some surprising facts about the firm that has been bringing “good things to life” since 1892.

[playbuzz-item url=”//www.playbuzz.com/fortune/5-things-you-dont-know-but-should-about-ge”]

About the Author
By Chris Taylor
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
The $38 trillion national debt is to blame for over $1 trillion in annual interest payments from here on out, CRFB says
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 17, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, McDonald's CEO dishes out some tough love career advice for navigating the market: ‘You've got to make things happen for yourself’
By Preston ForeDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
America's $38 trillion national debt 'exacerbates generational imbalances' with Gen Z and millennials paying the price, warns think tank
By Eleanor PringleDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt Roomba maker iRobot says Elon Musk's vision of humanoid robot assistants is 'pure fantasy thinking'
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
'Robots are going to be amongst us': Qualcomm exec says buckle up for the next 5 years. Your car is going to be the first shoe to drop
By Nino PaoliDecember 17, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
IBM, AWS veteran says 90% of your employees are stuck in first gear with AI, just asking it to ‘write their mean email in a slightly more polite way’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago

Latest in

InnovationRobotics
We ‘don’t have enough manpower’ for the delivery boom, says Singapore-based robotics founder
By Angelica AngDecember 18, 2025
35 minutes ago
Trump
EconomyWhite House
After Trump used prime-time speech to deny economic reality, his aides reassured him he did great
By Josh Boak and The Associated PressDecember 18, 2025
1 hour ago
Personal FinanceSavings accounts
Today’s best high-yield savings account rates on Dec. 18, 2025: Earn up to 5.00% APY
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 18, 2025
2 hours ago
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Invest in CDs now to get up to 4.18% APY. Here are the best CD rates for Dec. 18, 2025
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 18, 2025
2 hours ago
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for Dec. 18, 2025
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 18, 2025
2 hours ago
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for Dec. 18, 2025
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 18, 2025
2 hours ago