Baker Hughes vs Meta: Founders, CEOs and History

Baker Hughes was founded in 1987 by Reuben C. Baker, Howard R. Hughes Sr. and is led by Lorenzo Simonelli. Meta was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum and is led by Mark Zuckerberg.

Company facts

Baker Hughes

Founded: 1987
Headquarters: Houston, Texas, United States
Current CEO: Lorenzo Simonelli
Employees: 56,000

Founders

Baker Hughes

Reuben C. Baker
Baker Hughes dates from a 1987 merger, but both halves were built on early drilling patents. Reuben C. Baker was drilling in the Coalinga field in California when he patented the Baker Well Casing Shoe on July 16, 1907.
Howard R. Hughes Sr.
Howard Robard Hughes Sr. (September 9, 1869 to January 14, 1924) founded Hughes Tool Company. Born in Missouri, he studied engineering and worked the Texas and Louisiana oil fields before going into partnership with Walter B. Sharp.

Baker Hughes founders in full

CEOs and their tenures

Baker Hughes

James D. Woods1987–1997
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
James D. Woods was chief executive of Baker International and became chief executive of Baker Hughes Incorporated when the merger with Hughes Tool was formally completed in early April 1987.
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Max L. Lukens1997–2000
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Max L. Lukens joined Baker Hughes in 1981 and served as chairman, president and chief executive from 1997 until January 2000.
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Michael E. Wiley2000–2004
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Michael E. Wiley, previously president and chief operating officer of Atlantic Richfield, became president, chairman and chief executive of Baker Hughes effective August 14, 2000.
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Chad C. Deaton2004–2012
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Chad C. Deaton joined Baker Hughes from Hanover Compressor and served as chairman, president and chief executive from October 2004 until January 2012, then as executive chairman from 2012 to 2013.
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Martin Craighead2012–2017
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Martin Craighead joined Baker Hughes in 1986, became president in July 2010, chief executive in January 2012 and chairman in April 2013.
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Lorenzo Simonelli2017–present
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Lorenzo Simonelli has been a director, president and chief executive since the GE Oil and Gas combination closed in July 2017 and chairman since October 2017. He joined GE in 1994, led GE Transportation from July 2008 and GE Oil and Gas from October 2013.
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Baker Hughes CEO history in full

Timeline: Baker Hughes and Meta side by side

1907Baker Hughes
Reuben C. Baker patents the Well Casing Shoe
On July 16, 1907, Reuben Carlton Baker was granted U.S. Patent No. 860,115 for the Well Casing Shoe, a device that kept oil flowing while casing was run into a well.
1909Baker Hughes
Howard R. Hughes Sr. patents the two-cone roller drill bit
Howard R. Hughes Sr., working with Walter B. Sharp, tested a dual-cone roller bit on a rig at Goose Creek, Texas, and was granted U.S. patents on August 10, 1909.
1913Baker Hughes
Baker Casing Shoe Company founded in Coalinga, California
Baker created the Baker Casing Shoe Company to manufacture and license his casing accessories. The design of the Baker casing shoe stayed essentially unchanged for about 40 years and the business became a pillar of the emerging oilfield service sector.
1915Baker Hughes
Sharp-Hughes renamed Hughes Tool Company
Walter B. Sharp died in 1912 and Hughes acquired his partner stake. The business was renamed Hughes Tool Company in 1915. Its rock bits funded the fortune later inherited by Howard Hughes Jr.
1928Baker Hughes
Baker Casing Shoe Company renamed Baker Oil Tools
The company was renamed Baker Oil Tools, Inc. as it widened its range from casing shoes into well completion and production equipment.
1976Baker Hughes
Baker Oil Tools reorganised as Baker International Corporation
The Baker businesses were reorganised under the Baker International Corporation holding company, the entity that would merge with Hughes Tool eleven years later.
1987Baker Hughes
Baker International and Hughes Tool merge to form Baker Hughes Incorporated
The merger was formally completed in early April 1987 once a Justice Department consent decree was signed and filed, and the Los Angeles Times reported the combination at about $1.2 billion. James D.
1990Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes buys Eastman Christensen
Baker Hughes acquired Eastman Christensen, a specialist in directional drilling equipment and measurement-while-drilling tools. The capability became the core of what is now the Well Construction product line.
1998Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes acquires Western Atlas in a $5.5 billion merger
Baker Hughes and Western Atlas signed a definitive merger agreement valued at $5.5 billion in May 1998, adding seismic acquisition, wireline logging and reservoir evaluation. The Western Atlas wireline division became Baker Atlas.
2000Baker Hughes
Michael E. Wiley becomes chairman, president and chief executive
After Max L. Lukens resigned in January 2000 and director Joe B. Foster served as interim chairman, president and chief executive, Baker Hughes named former ARCO executive Michael Wiley as president, chairman and chief executive effective August 14, 2000.
2004Meta
Facebook launches at Harvard
Facebook launched on February 4, 2004, as a real-name student network. The product mattered because it made identity, campus trust and friend connections the core of the service before the company became a public social platform.
2006Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes exits the WesternGeco seismic joint venture
Schlumberger bought the Baker Hughes 30% interest in the WesternGeco seismic joint venture for $2.4 billion, ending the partnership formed in 2000 and removing seismic acquisition from the Baker Hughes portfolio.
2007Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes pays $44.1 million to settle Kazakhstan bribery charges
On April 26, 2007, subsidiary Baker Hughes Services International pleaded guilty to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and paid an $11 million criminal fine for payments routed to an official in connection with the Karachaganak field in Kazakhstan.
2007Meta
Ad platform becomes the business model
Facebook's advertising products turned user attention into a scalable commercial system. The shift mattered because the company could keep the consumer product free while charging marketers for measurable reach, targeting and conversion tools.
2010Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes completes the $5.5 billion BJ Services acquisition
Baker Hughes closed its cash-and-stock acquisition of pressure pumping and cementing company BJ Services on April 28, 2010. The Justice Department required the divestiture of BJ vessel-based stimulation assets in the U.S.
2012Meta
Instagram acquisition
Facebook agreed to acquire Instagram for about $1 billion in cash and stock. The deal mattered because Instagram was mobile-native at a moment when Facebook needed to prove it could survive the smartphone shift.
2012Meta
Facebook IPO
Facebook completed its initial public offering in May 2012, raising about $16 billion.
2014Baker Hughes
Halliburton agrees to buy Baker Hughes for $34.6 billion
On November 17, 2014, Halliburton and Baker Hughes announced a definitive stock-and-cash agreement valued at $34.6 billion. The deal drew antitrust review in the United States and Europe almost immediately.
2014Meta
WhatsApp acquisition
Facebook announced a deal to acquire WhatsApp, adding a large private messaging network to a company still known mainly for public feeds.
2014Meta
Oculus acquisition
Facebook agreed to acquire Oculus VR for about $2 billion. The deal mattered because it gave the company a hardware and immersive-computing bet years before the Meta rebrand.
2016Baker Hughes
Halliburton deal abandoned and Halliburton pays a $3.5 billion fee
The Justice Department sued on April 6, 2016, to block the combination. The companies terminated the merger agreement on May 1, 2016, and Halliburton paid Baker Hughes the $3.5 billion termination fee by May 4, 2016.
2017Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes combines with GE Oil and Gas; Lorenzo Simonelli becomes CEO
The combination closed on July 3, 2017, creating Baker Hughes, a GE company. Baker Hughes shareholders received a special cash dividend of $17.50 per share and 37.5% of the new company, with GE holding 62.5%.
2019Baker Hughes
Company renamed Baker Hughes Company and GE drops below a majority stake
GE sold shares in September 2019 for about $2.7 billion in net proceeds, cutting its holding to roughly 38.4%.
2021Baker Hughes
Stock listing moves from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq
Baker Hughes announced on October 27, 2021 that it would move its Class A common stock and listed bonds to the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and trading there began on December 7, 2021 under the same BKR ticker.
2021Meta
Facebook becomes Meta
Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta in 2021 to bring its apps and technologies under a new company brand.
2022Baker Hughes
GE ownership ends and Baker Hughes suspends most Russian activity
The 2022 Form 10-K states that GE no longer had an economic interest in Baker Hughes Holdings LLC as of December 31, 2022, down from 11.4% a year earlier.
2023Meta
Threads launch
Meta launched Threads in July 2023 and said the app passed 100 million sign-ups in its first five days. The launch mattered because Instagram distribution gave Meta a fast entry into real-time text conversation.
2024Meta
$164.501B revenue
Meta reported $164.501 billion in FY2024 revenue and $62.360 billion in net income. The year mattered because AI-powered ad tools, Reels monetization and expense discipline restored confidence after the 2022 slowdown.
2025Baker Hughes
Record FY2025 adjusted EBITDA, orders and free cash flow
Revenue was $27.733B, roughly flat against $27.829B in 2024, with attributable net income of $2.588B. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record $4,825M, orders a record $29,585M including a record $14,871M at IET, and free cash flow a record $2,732M.
2025Meta
$200.966B Revenue
Meta reported $200.966B in FY2025 revenue, $60.458B in net income, $83.276B in income from operations, and 78,865 employees at year-end.
2026Baker Hughes
Chart Industries acquired and two businesses divested
Baker Hughes completed its $13.6 billion acquisition of Chart Industries on July 16, 2026 and set it up as a third reporting segment led by senior vice president Jim Apostolides, targeting $325 million of annualised cost synergies within three years.
2026Meta
Q2 2026 revenue up 28%
Meta reported Q2 2026 revenue of $60.80B, up 28%, and net income of $15.85B, down 14%, after $2.40B of legal charges and $1.18B of severance from a May 2026 headcount reduction. It narrowed 2026 capex guidance to $130-145B.

Acquisitions

Baker Hughes

Chart Industries, Inc.2026$13.6B
Continental Disc Corporation2025$540M
GE Oil and Gas2017$7.4B
BJ Services Company2010$5.5B
Western Atlas Inc.1998$5.5B
Eastman Christensen1990Undisclosed

All Baker Hughes acquisitions

Questions about Baker Hughes vs Meta

Who is the CEO of Baker Hughes Company and Meta Platforms, Inc.?

Baker Hughes Company is led by Lorenzo Simonelli and Meta Platforms, Inc. is led by Mark Zuckerberg. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.

When was Baker Hughes Company founded vs Meta Platforms, Inc.?

Baker Hughes Company was founded in 1987 — 17 years before Meta Platforms, Inc., which was founded in 2004. Baker Hughes Company's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Meta Platforms, Inc..

How many employees does Baker Hughes Company have compared to Meta Platforms, Inc.?

Baker Hughes Company employs approximately 56,000 people, while Meta Platforms, Inc. employs approximately 75,472. Meta Platforms, Inc. has the larger workforce at 75,472 employees, compared to Baker Hughes Company's 56,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).

Where are Baker Hughes Company and Meta Platforms, Inc. headquartered?

Both Baker Hughes Company and Meta Platforms, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.

Who founded Baker Hughes Company and Meta Platforms, Inc.?

Baker Hughes Company was founded by Reuben C. Baker, Howard R. Hughes Sr.. Meta Platforms, Inc. was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes.

Which company has a longer operating history — Baker Hughes Company or Meta Platforms, Inc.?

Baker Hughes Company has been operating for approximately 39 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Meta Platforms, Inc. has been in operation for around 22 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 Baker Hughes vs Meta overview