Bank of America vs Johnson & Johnson: Founders, CEOs and History
Bank of America was founded in 1904 by Amadeo Peter Giannini and is led by Brian Moynihan. Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 by Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, Edward Mead Johnson and is led by Joaquin Duato.
Company facts
Bank of America
- Founded
- 1904
- Headquarters
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Current CEO
- Brian Moynihan
- Employees
- 213,000
Johnson & Johnson
- Founded
- 1886
- Headquarters
- New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Current CEO
- Joaquin Duato
- Employees
- 140,800
Founders
Bank of America
Amadeo Peter Giannini
Bank of America was founded by A. P. Giannini, the San Jose-born son of Italian immigrants. In 1904 he opened the Bank of Italy in a converted saloon in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. His aim was unusual for the time: to lend to working people.
Johnson & Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson (1845-1910) co-founded Johnson & Johnson in 1886 and served as its first president.
James Wood Johnson
James Wood Johnson (1856-1932) co-founded J&J with his brothers in 1886. An engineer by trade, he designed the early manufacturing machinery that allowed the company to mass-produce sterile surgical dressings.
Edward Mead Johnson
Edward Mead Johnson (1852-1934) co-founded J&J in 1886, bringing crucial sales and marketing expertise to the early business.
CEOs and their tenures
Bank of America
- Amadeo Peter Giannini1904–1945
Founder and Chairman
Giannini was born in San Jose, California, in 1870 to Italian immigrant parents and sold fruit and vegetables from a horse-drawn wagon before opening the Bank of Italy in San Francisco at the age of 34.
Source - Hugh L. McColl Jr.1998–2001
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
McColl joined the company in 1959 as a management trainee and built NationsBank through interstate acquisitions before its 1998 combination with San Francisco based BankAmerica, which took the Bank of America name and created the first coast-to-coast U.S.
Source - Ken Lewis2001–2009
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Lewis joined the company in 1969 as a credit analyst, ran corporate strategy from 1999, and became chairman and chief executive officer on April 25, 2001 when Hugh McColl retired.
Source - Brian Moynihan2010–present
Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Moynihan became chief executive officer on January 1, 2010, after running the general counsel, consumer banking and wealth management units, and he also chairs the board.
Source
Johnson & Johnson
- Ralph Larsen1989–2002
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Larsen's acquisitions, including Neutrogena, Cordis, DePuy, and Centocor, broadened J&J into medical devices and biologics, laying groundwork for today's MedTech segment and immunology franchise.
Source - William Weldon2002–2012
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Weldon's later years were overshadowed by a wave of consumer product recalls, including Tylenol and Motrin, tied to manufacturing-quality problems.
Source - Alex Gorsky2012–2022
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Gorsky's tenure set up the 2023 Kenvue separation completed under his successor and saw J&J's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized in 2021. He also oversaw the $30 billion Actelion acquisition in 2017 and the early years of talc litigation.
Source - Joaquin Duato2022–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under Duato, J&J's sales reached $94.193 billion in FY2025 with $26.804 billion in net earnings, and the company guides to its first $100 billion year in 2026. He also launched the DePuy Synthes separation and the 2026 talc settlement proposal.
Source
Timeline: Bank of America and Johnson & Johnson side by side
1886Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson Founded
Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson found the company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with 14 employees, to mass-produce sterile surgical dressings after Robert was inspired by antiseptic pioneer Joseph Lister's 1885 warnings about i…
1904Bank of America
Bank of Italy Founded
A.P. Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in San Francisco to expand access to banking for immigrants, wage earners, and small merchants.
1906Bank of America
San Francisco Earthquake Response
After the 1906 earthquake, Giannini resumed lending while much of San Francisco's banking system was disrupted. The response turned emergency access to credit into lasting customer trust and became a defining story in the bank's retail identity.
1920Johnson & Johnson
Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Introduced
J&J introduces the first mass-produced adhesive bandage, sold under the Band-Aid brand starting in 1921; it becomes one of the most recognized consumer-health brands in the world before J&J later spins its consumer division out as Kenvue in 2023.
1930Bank of America
Bank of Italy Renamed Bank of America
The Bank of Italy changed its name to Bank of America on November 1, 1930. The rebrand reflected a wider consumer and business ambition beyond the original immigrant-community label.
1943Johnson & Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson II Writes 'Our Credo'
Chairman Robert Wood Johnson II authors 'Our Credo,' a one-page statement ranking the company's responsibilities to customers, employees, communities, and shareholders in that order; it remains J&J's official governing philosophy and was later cited as the bas…
1944Johnson & Johnson
J&J Goes Public
Johnson & Johnson lists publicly, becoming an independent, market-traded company as it expands into a diversified healthcare business under Chairman Robert Wood Johnson II.
1958Bank of America
BankAmericard Introduced
Bank of America introduced BankAmericard in 1958, a revolving-credit card that later became part of the Visa system. The product tied the bank to modern consumer credit, merchant acceptance, and payment-network economics.
1982Johnson & Johnson
Tylenol Cyanide Poisonings and Nationwide Recall
After seven people in the Chicago area die from cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules, J&J issues a nationwide recall of 31 million bottles within a week -- far beyond what investigators said was necessary -- citing Our Credo's customer-safety priority…
1998Bank of America
NationsBank and BankAmerica Merge
The 1998 merger of Charlotte-based NationsBank and San Francisco's BankAmerica created the first coast-to-coast U.S. bank under the Bank of America name. It also shifted the modern company's headquarters center to Charlotte.
2006Bank of America
MBNA Merger Completed
The MBNA merger expanded the card business to more than 40M active accounts and nearly $140B in managed balances, according to the company's January 2006 release. That size made cards a more important part of consumer banking revenue and risk.
2008Bank of America
Countrywide Acquisition Approved
The Federal Reserve approved Bank of America's acquisition of Countrywide in June 2008. The deal added mortgage scale but later became a costly warning about buying distressed loan portfolios during a housing crisis.
2008Bank of America
Merrill Lynch Acquisition Approved
The Federal Reserve approved the acquisition of Merrill Lynch in November 2008. Although the integration was controversial, Merrill became central to the company's wealth-management and investment-banking fee base.
2012Johnson & Johnson
Alex Gorsky Becomes CEO
Gorsky succeeds William Weldon as CEO amid a period of manufacturing-quality recalls, and spends the next decade restoring J&J's operational reputation while expanding the pharmaceutical and MedTech businesses and developing a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine duri…
2014Bank of America
Mortgage Settlements With the Justice Department and FHFA
Bank of America agreed in August 2014 to a $16.65B settlement with the Justice Department over mortgage claims tied to Countrywide and Merrill Lynch, following a March 2014 FHFA agreement with an aggregate payment of about $9.33B.
2018Bank of America
Erica Launched
Bank of America launched Erica in 2018 as an AI-enabled virtual assistant inside digital banking. The launch mattered because customer service, insights, and routine account tasks were moving from branches and call centers into mobile channels.
2022Johnson & Johnson
Joaquin Duato Becomes CEO
Duato becomes CEO in January 2022, later adding the chairman title, and begins preparing the separation of J&J's consumer-health business from its medicine and device operations.
2023Bank of America
CFPB and OCC Orders on Fees, Rewards and Accounts
In July 2023 the CFPB ordered Bank of America to pay more than $100M to customers for repeat non-sufficient-funds fees, withheld credit card rewards and unauthorized accounts, plus $90M in CFPB penalties, and the OCC added a $60M penalty.
2023Johnson & Johnson
Kenvue Separation
J&J completes the spinoff of its consumer-health business (Band-Aid, Tylenol, Listerine, Neutrogena) as the standalone public company Kenvue, narrowing J&J around its higher-margin Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments.
2025Bank of America
$113.1B FY2025 Revenue
The company reported $113.1B in total revenue net of interest expense and $30.5B in net income for FY2025. The result showed the combined scale of deposits, wealth management, cards, payments, global banking, and markets.
2025Bank of America
Co-Presidents Named
On September 12, 2025 Bank of America named Dean Athanasia and Jim DeMare Co-Presidents and gave Chief Financial Officer Alastair Borthwick the added title of executive vice president.
2025Johnson & Johnson
FY2025 Sales of $94.193B
Johnson & Johnson reports $94.193 billion in sales and $26.804 billion in net earnings, split roughly 64% Innovative Medicine and 36% MedTech, both segments growing about 6% year over year.
2025Johnson & Johnson
Orthopaedics Separation Announced
In October 2025 J&J announced plans to separate its orthopaedics business as a standalone company operating as DePuy Synthes, targeting completion in 2027.
2026Johnson & Johnson
Proposed Talc Resolution and Raised Guidance
J&J raised 2026 sales guidance to about $101.1 billion after Q2 sales of $25.31 billion, and on July 27, 2026 proposed an estimated $5.5 billion resolution of remaining ovarian talc claims.
Acquisitions
Bank of America
- Countrywide Financial2008$4B
- Merrill Lynch2008$50B
- LaSalle Bank2007$21B
- MBNA2006$35B
- FleetBoston Financial2004$47B
- BankAmerica / NationsBank merger1998$43B
Johnson & Johnson
- Intra-Cellular Therapies2025$14.6B
- Shockwave Medical2024$13.1B
- Kenvue separation2023Undisclosed
- Abiomed2022$16.6B
- Actelion2017$30B
Questions about Bank of America vs Johnson & Johnson
Who is the CEO of Bank of America Corporation and Johnson & Johnson?
Bank of America Corporation is led by Brian Moynihan and Johnson & Johnson is led by Joaquin Duato. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Bank of America Corporation founded vs Johnson & Johnson?
Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 — 18 years before Bank of America Corporation, which was founded in 1904. Johnson & Johnson's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Bank of America Corporation.
How many employees does Bank of America Corporation have compared to Johnson & Johnson?
Bank of America Corporation employs approximately 213,000 people, while Johnson & Johnson employs approximately 140,800. Bank of America Corporation has the larger workforce at 213,000 employees, compared to Johnson & Johnson's 140,800. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Bank of America Corporation and Johnson & Johnson headquartered?
Both Bank of America Corporation and Johnson & Johnson are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Bank of America Corporation and Johnson & Johnson?
Bank of America Corporation was founded by Amadeo Peter Giannini. Johnson & Johnson was founded by Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson, Edward Mead Johnson.
Which company has a longer operating history — Bank of America Corporation or Johnson & Johnson?
Johnson & Johnson has been operating for approximately 140 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Bank of America Corporation has been in operation for around 122 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 Bank of America vs Johnson & Johnson overview