Boeing BA

Founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing, this aerospace giant quickly soared to fame, proving that an obsession with flying machines could pay off—or at least that it could fund some breathtakingly ambitious blunders. Boeing’s fame peaked with its iconic 747, the "Jumbo Jet" that made the skies less exclusive and airlines slightly more tolerable. But let’s not forget the 737 MAX debacle, a scandal so epic it could have been a feature-length disaster film. Two fatal crashes and an ensuing global grounding didn’t exactly bolster Boeing’s reputation for flawless engineering. In terms of valuation, the company hovers in the high hundreds of billions, but it's less a testament to unblemished triumph and more a sign of its ongoing struggle to recover from a public relations nosedive. Despite these setbacks, Boeing still boasts awards for its technological marvels and continues to lead the skies—though with a few more safety nets and a lot more scrutiny. As of now, the company is led by David Calhoun, who is steering this behemoth through turbulent times, all while attempting to restore faith in what was once the gold standard of American aviation.