BYD vs Quest Diagnostics: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: BYD and Quest Diagnostics side by side

1. 1967Quest Diagnostics

   Metropolitan Pathology Laboratory Founded by Dr. Paul A. Brown

   Dr. Paul A. Brown founded Metropolitan Pathology Laboratory, Inc. in Teaneck, New Jersey, to provide clinical laboratory services to local physicians and hospitals. The company was renamed MetPath, Inc. in 1969.

2. 1982Quest Diagnostics

   Corning Glass Works Acquires MetPath

   Corning Glass Works acquired MetPath and renamed it Corning Clinical Laboratories.

3. 1995BYD

   BYD founded in Shenzhen

   Wang Chuanfu and his cousin Lu Xiangyang start BYD in Shenzhen with about 20 employees, making rechargeable batteries for mobile phones.

4. 1996Quest Diagnostics

   Spin-off from Corning as Independent Public Company

   On December 31, 1996, Quest Diagnostics became an independent company through a spin-off from Corning and began trading on the NYSE under ticker DGX. Kenneth W. Freeman was appointed CEO.

5. 1999Quest Diagnostics

   Acquisition of SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories

   Quest acquired SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories for approximately $1.3 billion in cash and stock.

6. 2000BYD

   Becomes a leading NiCd battery maker

   BYD becomes one of the world's largest makers of nickel-cadmium batteries, supplying major electronics brands.

7. 2002BYD

   Hong Kong listing

   BYD lists its H shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under stock code 1211.

8. 2003BYD

   Buys Qinchuan and enters the car business

   BYD acquires a controlling stake in Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile for about $37.4 million (CN¥269 million), gaining a car production licence and factory.

9. 2003Quest Diagnostics

   Acquisition of Unilab Corporation for $800 Million

   Quest acquired Unilab Corporation for $800 million, significantly expanding its West Coast presence and adding substantial volume in California and surrounding states.

10. 2005Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of LabOne, Inc. for $934 Million

    Quest acquired LabOne, Inc. for $934 million, adding employer drug testing and paramedical testing capabilities that expanded the company's service offerings beyond traditional clinical laboratory testing.

11. 2007Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of AmeriPath for Approximately $1.23 Billion

    Quest acquired AmeriPath and its subsidiary Specialty Laboratories for approximately $1.23 billion, adding anatomic pathology and cancer diagnostic testing capabilities that complemented Quest's clinical chemistry strengths.

12. 2008BYD

    Berkshire Hathaway takes about 10%

    Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy invests $232 million for about 10% of BYD, giving the company international credibility.

13. 2008BYD

    Launches the F3DM plug-in hybrid

    BYD launches the F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car, two years before the Chevrolet Volt.

14. 2010BYD

    Denza joint venture with Daimler

    BYD and Daimler set up Denza as a 50:50 joint venture to build premium electric cars in China.

15. 2011BYD

    Launches the e6 and lists in Shenzhen

    BYD launches the e6 electric crossover, first used as a taxi in Shenzhen, and lists A shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (002594).

16. 2011Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisitions of Athena Diagnostics and Celera Corporation

    Quest acquired Athena Diagnostics (neurodegenerative disease testing) and Celera Corporation (genomics and sequencing), adding advanced diagnostics capabilities in neurology and genetic testing that would become foundational for future growth initiatives.

17. 2014Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of Solstas Lab Partners Group for $570 Million

    Quest acquired Solstas Lab Partners Group for $570 million, expanding its geographic footprint in the Southeastern United States and adding hospital outreach laboratory relationships.

18. 2018Quest Diagnostics

    Launch of QuestDirect Consumer-Initiated Testing

    Quest launched QuestDirect, a consumer-initiated testing service that allows patients to order health and wellness lab testing without a physician order in states where permitted. This marked Quest's entry into the direct-to-consumer diagnostic market.

19. 2020BYD

    Launches the Blade Battery

    BYD introduces the Blade Battery, an LFP cell-to-pack design that passes the nail penetration test without fire.

20. 2020Quest Diagnostics

    COVID-19 Testing Launch and Pandemic Response

    Quest launched COVID-19 testing in March 2020 and by July 2020 had performed more than 9.2 million molecular tests and 2.8 million serology tests. The pandemic created both operational challenges and substantial revenue opportunities for the company.

21. 2020Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of Blueprint Genetics for $108 Million

    Quest acquired Blueprint Genetics (Helsinki, Finland) for $108 million, adding genetic testing capabilities for rare diseases and expanding Quest's international genomics expertise.

22. 2022BYD

    Ends combustion-only car production

    In March 2022 BYD stops making combustion-only passenger cars and focuses entirely on battery EVs and plug-in hybrids.

23. 2022Quest Diagnostics

    Jim Davis Becomes CEO, Succeeding Steve Rusckowski

    Jim Davis succeeded Steve Rusckowski as CEO on November 1, 2022, after serving as Executive Vice President of General Diagnostics. Davis brought experience from GE Healthcare, InSightec, and McKinsey & Company. He became Chairman on April 1, 2023.

24. 2023BYD

    Passes Tesla in quarterly BEV sales

    BYD sells 3.02 million new energy vehicles in 2023, and its 526,409 battery EVs in the fourth quarter top Tesla's 484,507 for the first time in a quarter.

25. 2023Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of Haystack Oncology and NewYork-Presbyterian Outreach

    Quest acquired Haystack Oncology, a minimal residual disease testing company, and the outreach laboratory operations of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for $275 million, expanding advanced oncology diagnostics and health system partnerships.

26. 2024BYD

    Takes full ownership of Denza

    Mercedes-Benz sells its last 10% of Denza in July 2024, leaving BYD as the sole shareholder of its premium brand.

27. 2024Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of LifeLabs from OMERS for CAD $1.35 Billion

    Quest completed the acquisition of LifeLabs from OMERS for approximately CAD $1.35 billion (USD ~$1 billion), adding Canada's leading laboratory diagnostic provider with 6,500+ employees, 8+ million online portal users, and approximately CAD $970 million in an…

28. 2025BYD

    Berkshire Hathaway exits

    Berkshire Hathaway confirms in September 2025 that it has sold its entire BYD stake, ending a 17-year investment.

29. 2025BYD

    Becomes the world's top battery EV seller

    BYD sells 2.26 million battery EVs in 2025 against Tesla's 1.64 million, and 4.6 million new energy vehicles in total.

30. 2025Quest Diagnostics

    Acquisition of Fresenius Medical Care Spectra Laboratories Assets

    Quest completed the acquisition of select clinical testing assets from Fresenius Medical Care's Spectra Laboratories and began providing comprehensive dialysis-related laboratory services for Fresenius-operated centers serving approximately 200,000 patients an…

31. 2025Quest Diagnostics

    Record Financial Performance and Raised 2026 Guidance

    Quest reported record 2025 results with $11.035 billion in revenue (up 11.8%), operating income of $1.556 billion (up 15.6%), and cash from operations of $1.886 billion (up 41.4%).

32. 2026BYD

    Unveils Blade Battery 2.0 and FLASH charging

    On March 5, 2026 BYD unveils the second-generation Blade Battery, which charges from 10% to 70% in about five minutes, and plans 20,000 FLASH charging stations in China by the end of 2026.

33. 2026BYD

    Overseas revenue passes China

    In the first half of 2026 BYD's overseas revenue of ~$25.2 billion (CN¥181.3 billion) exceeds revenue from China for the first time, even as group revenue falls 7.1% to ~$47.9 billion (CN¥344.8 billion).

34. 2026Quest Diagnostics

    Q1 2026 Results Raise Guidance

    Quest Diagnostics reports Q1 2026 revenues of $2.895B, 9.0% organic revenue growth, and raises FY2026 net revenue guidance to $11.78B-$11.90B.

35. 2026Quest Diagnostics

    Q2 2026 Results and Second Guidance Raise

    Quest reported Q2 2026 revenue of $3.043B (up 10.2%, 10.0% organic) and adjusted diluted EPS of $3.12 (up 19.1%). It raised FY2026 revenue guidance to $11.95B-$12.05B. New York State approved Haystack MRD in the same period.

Acquisitions

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