Larry Culp

Larry Culp saved General Electric. In 2018, with the stock in free fall, the directors turned to Culp, one of their own and former CEO of Danaher, to be GE’s new CEO. He and the directors eventually decided to break up the venerable industrial company into three parts. Culp completed the breakup in 2024 and became CEO of GE Aerospace, best known for its jet engine business. (GE Vernova primarily makes electricity generation equipment, and GE HealthCare Technologies produces imaging equipment and other medical technology.) Though old-timers bewailed the demise of the company Thomas Edison cofounded, it was the right move. When Culp became CEO, GE’s market value was $98 billion. The combined value of the three freestanding components was recently $468 billion.