Apple vs Burlington: Founders, CEOs and History
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and is led by John Ternus. Burlington was founded in 1972 by Monroe Milstein and is led by Michael O'Sullivan.
Company facts
Apple
- Founded
- 1976
- Headquarters
- Cupertino, California
- Current CEO
- John Ternus
- Employees
- 166,000
Burlington
- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- Burlington, New Jersey
- Current CEO
- Michael O'Sullivan
- Employees
- 83,309
Founders
Apple
Steve Jobs
Apple Computer was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, who sold his 10% stake back to his partners for $800 twelve days later.
Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple and supplied the engineering foundation for its early success. He designed the Apple I as a working personal-computer board and then created the Apple II, the product that transformed Apple into a real company.
Ronald Wayne
Ronald Wayne co-founded Apple in 1976 but exited the partnership after only days, selling his stake back to Jobs and Wozniak.
Burlington
Monroe Milstein
Monroe G. Milstein grew up in his family's wholesale outerwear business in New York.
CEOs and their tenures
Apple
- John Sculley1983–1993
CEO
Sculley, a Wharton MBA who had built his reputation running Pepsi's marketing organization, was recruited to Apple in 1983 after Steve Jobs asked him, 'Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?' Apple paid h…
Source - Gil Amelio1996–1997
CEO
Amelio built his reputation as a corporate turnaround specialist at Rockwell International and then as CEO of National Semiconductor, where he was credited with transforming it from a struggling third-tier chipmaker into a more respected competitor, before joi…
Source - Steve Jobs1997–2011
CEO
Jobs enrolled at Reed College but dropped out after six months, later working as a video-game designer at Atari before he and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer in the Jobs family garage in 1976, funding the venture by selling Jobs's Volkswagen van and Wozni…
Source - Tim Cook2011–2026
CEO
Cook earned an industrial-engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business, then spent 12 years at IBM's personal-computer business before serving as COO of the reseller division at Intelligent Electronics and briefly a…
Source - John Ternus2026–present
CEO
Before becoming CEO, Ternus was Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, the group responsible for the engineering of Apple's devices. Cook described his contributions to Apple as spanning 25 years when the succession was announced.
Source
Burlington
- Monroe Milstein1972–2006
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Milstein opened the first Burlington Coat Factory in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1972, broadened it from discount coats into year-round family apparel, shoes, baby and home goods, and took it public in 1983.
Source - Mark Nesci2006–2008
Chief Executive Officer
A 37-year Burlington veteran, Nesci became CEO in 2006 after Bain Capital took the company private for about $2.06 billion. He retired in December 2008, remaining an equity investor and senior adviser to the board.
Source - Tom Kingsbury2008–2019
President and Chief Executive Officer
A former Kohl's senior executive, Kingsbury was hired by Bain Capital in December 2008 to revamp buying, inventory management and the supply chain.
Source - Michael O'Sullivan2019–present
Chief Executive Officer
O'Sullivan joined from Ross Stores, where he spent 16 years and finished as president and COO, and became CEO around September 16, 2019.
Source
Timeline: Apple and Burlington side by side
1972Burlington
Burlington Coat Factory opens
Monroe Milstein bought a coat outlet in a former factory building in Burlington, New Jersey, and sold brand-name coats at discount prices, the start of Burlington Coat Factory.
1976Apple
Apple is founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, turning an early personal-computer board into a company with a product and a market.
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple in 1976, when personal computing was still a hobbyist market.
1977Apple
The Apple II launches and gives the young company an expandable personal computer for schools, homes, and small businesses.
The Apple II turned a garage project into a business. Color graphics, expansion slots and a consumer-friendly design carried it into schools, homes and small offices, giving Apple a revenue base years before the Macintosh.
1980Apple
Apple completes its initial public offering in December 1980, raising capital and turning personal computing into a public-market story.
The December 1980 IPO gave Apple public-market capital and made personal computing look like a serious commercial category. It also raised the pressure to professionalize management, distribution and product planning as the company outgrew its founding team.
1983Burlington
First public offering
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation went public for the first time, funding expansion from a regional discounter into a national chain with year-round apparel, shoes, baby and home departments.
1984Apple
The Macintosh introduces a graphical interface and mouse-driven computing to a broad audience at a $2,495 launch price.
The Macintosh brought a graphical interface and a mouse to a mass-market computer and defined Apple's design identity.
1989Burlington
Cohoes Specialty Stores acquired
Burlington bought the Cohoes Specialty Stores off-price chain from upstate New York, including a 50 percent stake in the Cohoes Commons building; a few stores still traded as Cohoes Fashions decades later.
1997Apple
Apple completes the NeXT acquisition, bringing Steve Jobs back and supplying the operating-system foundation for the years that followed.
Apple's NeXT acquisition brought Steve Jobs back when the company was financially weak and unfocused.
2001Apple
Apple introduces the iPod on October 23, 2001, a 5GB music player priced at $399 that held about 1,000 songs.
The iPod put a hard-drive music library in a pocket at $399 and went on sale on November 10, 2001.
2006Burlington
Bain Capital takes Burlington private
Bain Capital acquired Burlington Coat Factory for about $2.06 billion, ending 34 years of Milstein family control. Long-time executive Mark Nesci became chief executive.
2007Apple
The iPhone is introduced as a phone, widescreen iPod, and internet communicator, moving Apple into the center of mobile computing.
The iPhone moved Apple into mobile computing and shifted the company's center of gravity away from the Mac. It also created the hardware base that later supported services, accessories and developer economics.
2008Apple
The App Store opens with 500 apps, creating a controlled software marketplace that becomes a major Services pillar.
The App Store launched with 500 apps and gave iPhone owners a single, controlled way to install third-party software.
2008Burlington
Tom Kingsbury named CEO
Former Kohl's executive Thomas Kingsbury became president and CEO in December 2008, succeeding Mark Nesci, and began overhauling buying, inventory management and the supply chain.
2011Apple
Tim Cook becomes chief executive on August 24, 2011, after Steve Jobs resigns and the board names Cook to succeed him.
Apple's board named Tim Cook chief executive on August 24, 2011, when Steve Jobs resigned and recommended the succession plan be carried out.
2013Burlington
Return to the stock market
Burlington Stores priced its IPO on October 2, 2013, selling 13.3 million shares at $17 each for about $226 million, and listed under the ticker BURL.
2014Apple
Apple agrees to acquire Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 billion, its largest deal.
Apple agreed to buy Beats Music and Beats Electronics for a total of $3 billion, about $2.6 billion in purchase price plus roughly $400 million vesting over time, and brought in founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.
2019Burlington
Michael O'Sullivan becomes CEO
Former Ross Stores president and COO Michael O'Sullivan succeeded Tom Kingsbury as CEO around September 16, 2019, and later launched the Burlington 2.0 plan of leaner inventories and smaller stores.
2020Apple
Apple announces the Mac transition to Apple silicon, deepening control over performance, power efficiency, and software optimization.
Apple began moving Mac computers off Intel processors and onto its own M-series chips in 2020.
2020Burlington
Online sales end and stores close for the pandemic
On March 5, 2020, Burlington said it would shut its e-commerce business. Days later pandemic lockdowns closed its stores, and fiscal 2020 revenue fell to $5.76 billion with a $216.5 million net loss.
2023Burlington
Bed Bath & Beyond leases
Burlington won 44 Bed Bath & Beyond leases for $12 million at the June 2023 bankruptcy auction, the largest share of the 109 sold, and later reported 62 former Bed Bath & Beyond leases in total.
2024Apple
Vision Pro launches at $3,499 and gives Apple a shipping platform for spatial interfaces, sensors, and custom silicon.
Vision Pro gave Apple a live platform for spatial interfaces, eye and hand input, high-resolution displays and custom chips.
2025Burlington
Joann leases
After Joann's second bankruptcy, Burlington agreed in April 2025 to take over 45 Joann store leases, many of which became part of its fiscal 2026 opening program.
2026Apple
John Ternus becomes chief executive on September 1, 2026, and Tim Cook becomes executive chairman.
John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, became chief executive on September 1, 2026, and Tim Cook became executive chairman after 15 years as CEO.
2026Burlington
Record fiscal 2025 results
Burlington reported fiscal 2025 total revenue of $11.57 billion and net income of $610.2 million, and ended the year on January 31, 2026, with 1,212 stores.
2026Burlington
Tariff refunds put into prices
In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, sales rose 11 percent to $2.998 billion. Burlington received $55 million in tariff refunds and said it would reinvest them in lower prices; the store count reached 1,287.
2026Burlington
Headquarters move to Philadelphia announced
On September 3, 2026, Burlington said it will invest $370 million to move its headquarters from Burlington Township, New Jersey, to Schuylkill Yards in Philadelphia, in phases from late 2028 or early 2029.
Acquisitions
Burlington
- Joann store leases2025Undisclosed
- Bed Bath & Beyond store leases2023$12M
- Burlington Coat Factory (taken private by Bain Capital)2006$2.1B
- Cohoes Specialty Stores (Cohoes Fashions)1989Undisclosed
Questions about Apple vs Burlington
Who is the CEO of Apple Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc.?
Apple Inc. is led by John Ternus and Burlington Stores, Inc. is led by Michael O'Sullivan. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Apple Inc. founded vs Burlington Stores, Inc.?
Burlington Stores, Inc. was founded in 1972 — 4 years before Apple Inc., which was founded in 1976. Burlington Stores, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Apple Inc..
How many employees does Apple Inc. have compared to Burlington Stores, Inc.?
Apple Inc. employs approximately 166,000 people, while Burlington Stores, Inc. employs approximately 83,309. Apple Inc. has the larger workforce at 166,000 employees, compared to Burlington Stores, Inc.'s 83,309. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Apple Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc. headquartered?
Both Apple Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Apple Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc.?
Apple Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne. Burlington Stores, Inc. was founded by Monroe Milstein.
Which company has a longer operating history — Apple Inc. or Burlington Stores, Inc.?
Burlington Stores, Inc. has been operating for approximately 54 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Apple Inc. has been in operation for around 50 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Apple vs Burlington overview