ASML Holding vs Target: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: ASML Holding and Target side by side

1. 1902Target

   Dayton Company is founded

   George Dayton becomes a partner in Goodfellow's Dry Goods Company in Minneapolis in 1902, then sole owner in 1903, renaming it Dayton Dry Goods Company -- the business that eventually becomes Target Corporation.

2. 1962Target

   First Target store opens

   The first Target discount store opens in Roseville, Minnesota.

3. 1984ASML Holding

   Founded as ASM Lithography in Eindhoven

   ASM Lithography starts operations on April 1, 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International, with the mandate to commercialize the PAS 2000 wafer stepper developed inside Philips.

4. 1986ASML Holding

   PAS 2500 stepper and the Carl Zeiss partnership

   ASML brings the PAS 2500 stepper to market with a new wafer alignment system developed by first chief scientist Steef Wittekoek, and establishes the optics partnership with Carl Zeiss that still supplies every ASML lithography system.

5. 1988ASML Holding

   ASM International withdraws and Philips funds a rescue

   With few customers and heavy cash consumption, ASM International decides to stop funding the joint venture while Philips launches a company-wide cost-cutting program.

6. 1991ASML Holding

   PAS 5500 platform turns the company around

   ASML launches the PAS 5500 platform, whose productivity and resolution win the first large orders from Intel and IBM under chief executive Willem Maris and take the company to profitability. PAS 5500 systems are still running in customer fabs decades later.

7. 1995ASML Holding

   IPO in Amsterdam and on Nasdaq

   ASML becomes a fully independent public company with a dual listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Philips sells half of its shares at the IPO and divests the remainder over the following years.

8. 2000Target

   Company becomes Target Corporation

   Dayton Hudson changes its name to Target Corporation as the discount chain becomes the center of the company.

9. 2001ASML Holding

   TWINSCAN platform launched and Silicon Valley Group acquired

   ASML introduces the TWINSCAN dual-stage architecture, which exposes one wafer while the next is measured and aligned, lifting throughput and overlay accuracy above competing systems.

10. 2003ASML Holding

    First immersion lithography system

    The TWINSCAN AT:1150i debuts as ASML's first immersion machine, projecting 193 nanometer light through a layer of ultrapure water between the lens and the wafer to raise resolution.

11. 2010ASML Holding

    First EUV prototype shipped

    ASML ships the TWINSCAN NXE:3100, its first extreme ultraviolet lithography tool, to the research facility of an Asian chipmaker.

12. 2012ASML Holding

    Customer Co-Investment Program with Intel, TSMC and Samsung

    Intel, TSMC and Samsung acquire newly issued ASML shares equal to an aggregate 23 percent minority stake for ~$4.35 billion (3.85 billion euros) in cash, and separately commit ~$1.56 billion (1.38 billion euros) of R&D funding over five years dedicated to EUV…

13. 2013ASML Holding

    Cymer acquisition completed and second-generation EUV shipped

    ASML completes the acquisition of Cymer, the San Diego supplier of the light sources used in its lithography systems, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at ~$2.2 billion (1.95 billion euros) when it was agreed in October 2012.

14. 2013Target

    Target Data Breach

    Target discloses a data breach affecting more than 40 million customer payment cards during the holiday shopping season, becoming one of the most-cited cybersecurity failures in US retail history.

15. 2014Target

    Dermstore Acquired

    Target acquires online beauty retailer Dermstore to expand its e-commerce beauty business; it sells the unit to THG for $350 million in 2021.

16. 2015Target

    Target Exits Canada

    Target announced in January 2015 that it would close all of its Canadian stores, ending an expansion that began in 2013.

17. 2017ASML Holding

    EUV enters high-volume manufacturing

    ASML begins shipping the production-ready TWINSCAN NXE:3400B after customers started ordering the NXE:3400 generation in batches in 2016, roughly two decades after EUV research began.

18. 2017Target

    Target acquires Shipt and Grand Junction

    Target acquires same-day delivery platform Shipt for about $550 million and transportation-technology startup Grand Junction, accelerating omnichannel fulfillment.

19. 2019ASML Holding

    Dutch government stops EUV exports to China

    The Netherlands does not renew ASML's export licence for EUV systems to China, the start of a widening export control regime.

20. 2020Target

    Stores become fulfillment hubs

    Target's store-based fulfillment model becomes central to digital growth during the pandemic period.

21. 2023ASML Holding

    First High-NA EUV system shipped

    ASML ships the first of its next-generation EUV systems with a numerical aperture of 0.55, the TWINSCAN EXE:5000, to Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon.

22. 2024ASML Holding

    Christophe Fouquet becomes chief executive

    Peter Wennink and Martin van den Brink step down as presidents of ASML on April 24, 2024 and Christophe Fouquet becomes president, chief executive officer and chair of the Board of Management.

23. 2025ASML Holding

    Record year, first EXE:5200B and Mistral AI investment

    ASML reports total net sales of ~$37 billion (32.7 billion euros), up 15.6 percent, net income of ~$10.8 billion (9.6 billion euros), a gross margin of 52.8 percent and 535 systems sold, and closes the year with a backlog of ~$43.8 billion (38.8 billion euros)…

24. 2025Target

    Michael Fiddelke named next CEO

    Target announces that Michael Fiddelke will succeed Brian Cornell as CEO effective February 1, 2026, after 22 years rising through the company including as CFO and COO.

25. 2026Target

    FY2025 revenue is reported

    Target reports FY2025 revenue of $104.780B and net income of $3.705B, the third consecutive year of revenue decline.

26. 2026Target

    Q1 FY2026 sales rebound

    Target reports Q1 FY2026 net sales growth of 6.7% and comparable sales growth of 5.6% under new CEO Michael Fiddelke.

27. 2026Target

    Q2 FY2026 growth and raised outlook

    Target reports Q2 FY2026 net sales of $26.5B (+5.3%), comparable sales growth of 3.8% and raises full-year guidance to about 5% sales growth.

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