Johnson & Johnson
Founded in 1886 by three brothers—Robert, James, and Edward Johnson—Johnson & Johnson (J&J) began as a modest supplier of surgical dressings before ballooning into a global healthcare giant. The company’s innovations, from Band-Aids to baby powder, became household staples, though the latter would later embroil J&J in a legal quagmire over asbestos contamination claims. Despite its “family company” branding, J&J has faced more than its share of controversies, from opioid lawsuits to faulty hip implants, testing the public’s trust as much as its bottom line. The company went public in 1944, and its stock has been a stalwart of the Dow ever since, making it a favorite among cautious investors. Under the long reign of CEO Alex Gorsky, J&J navigated the COVID-19 pandemic with its single-shot vaccine, though not without hiccups. The legacy? A behemoth that straddles the line between benevolence and big business, proving that even in healthcare, profits often come with a prescription for damage control.