Following is the 10 world’s most innovative companies for 2008, the latest ranking published by Fast Company magazine, an international monthly business magazine.
1. Google
Surprised? Don’t be. Google is all about invention. Founded in 1995 by partners Larry Page and Sergei Brin, the company started a medium size search engine, which after many years become the world’s biggest search engine.
In the process of getting where they are today, Google has undergone a remarkable evolution which saw them changing the landscape of advertising, search, sales and marketing, social networking and so on.
2. Apple
Apple was started by business icon Steve Jobs at the back of his home garage. Within 10 years, he drove Apple from a few-person company into reaching its first billion dollar mark. Steve himself became his own victim of success after being fired from the company he started but soon came back to spearhead the creation of more breakthrough products such as Mac, i-pod and i-phone.
3. Facebook
Facebook was started by a Harvard University student, Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, with the initial intention to connect students in the university. But the social networking site got too popular and soon other students in other universities and colleges wanted to have some piece too. Facebook is fast competing with other established social network websites, and is set to become the world’s largest soon.
4. General Electric
Old company, young mentality. General Electric establishment was sparked by the invention of the world’s first incandescent lamp by Thomas Edison in the 19th century. It underwent its most remarkable growth when the company was led by former CEO Jack Welch. General Electric was ranked the third largest company in the world in 2008 in terms of market capitalization.
5. IDEO
Probably the least heard company in the top ten list. IDEO is a firm specializing in design and design consultancy for products, services, environments and multimedia. IDEO is based in Palo Alto, California, and has offices in New York, London, Munich, Shanghai, San Francisco and Chicago. Since its establishment in 1991, IDEO has won design excellent awards more than any other firms.
6. Nike
Nike is a global sportswear and equipment manufacturer, known for its quality products, and invention of new technology in sports. From the first product of running shoes, the company ventured to produce all sort of gears for various sports including baseball, tennis, basketball, football and baseball. Nike was also ranked in among the top 10 employers for MBA graduates in 2008, as recently released by Fortune magazine.
7. Nokia
You know Nokia produces top of the range mobile phones but believe it or not, it started as a mill processing factory in the 19th century. Their telecommunication era began in 1960s when they started to manufacture that bulky mobile radio for use in military operation. Today, Nokia controls close to 40% of the mobile phone market share.
8. Alibaba
Alibaba provides platform for business owners, traders and retailers to interact and conduct transaction online, and was especially set up to cater for the emerging Chinese market. Every year, more than 20 million visitors visit the Alibaba website to find goods and exchange business. Alibaba’s success drove Yahoo! to to acquire a 40% share of the company.
9. Amazon.com
Amazon.com, the world’s largest online book store, was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and is an icon for other successful online businesses. Today, it sells ebooks, videos, music, and even kitchenware! While the popularity of Amazon is being eclipsed by other emerging online companies such as Google, Facebook, Alibaba and so on, the company quietly tripled its revenues for the past few years.
10. Nintendo
Nintendo started as a company venturing into a number of small businesses including playing cards, hotel and taxi before its video business suddenly grew rapidly and eventually made name as one of the most powerful brands in the gaming industry. Among innovative products by Nintendo are Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, GameCube and the most recent Nintendo Wii.
Other posts you may want to read:
- Air Asia in Most Innovative Companies List 2008
- Apple is Now the Biggest Tech Company in the World
- How To Make Use of The Internet To Land a Job
- The World’s Most Influential Brands
- The Rise Of The Personal Brand
- Danger of Social Media at Work
- Using Facebook To Get a Job
- Apple to Launch Tablet Computer
Author's bio: Zul is the founder and principal contributor for the SKOR Career blog. He is the author of two books, The Malaysian Job Seeker's Dilemma and Buat Duit Tanpa Kerja Makan Gaji (How to Make Money Without a Job), available in major book stores nationwide. You can reach him at zulkiflimusa[at]gmail.com.
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2 comments ↓
[...] Apple is famous for its breakthrough technologies that often come with sleek designs and stylish outlook. The corporation’s string of best selling products include Macintosh, iPod, Mac OS, iLife, iTunes, iPhone and so on. Apart from being the most influential brand, Apple was ranked second in the recently published 2008 10 World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. [...]
[...] Nike recently grabbed a number of prestigious awards such as The Most Influential Brands (no. 5), Most Innovative Companies (no. 6) and Top Employers for MBA Graduates (no. [...]
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