FedEx vs Qualcomm: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: FedEx and Qualcomm side by side

1. 1971FedEx

   Federal Express Founded

   Frederick W. Smith incorporates Federal Express Corporation, planning to build an overnight air-delivery network around a central Memphis hub.

2. 1973FedEx

   Commercial Operations Begin

   Federal Express begins commercial service from Memphis using a hub-and-spoke overnight model, surviving early near-bankruptcy on fuel costs.

3. 1978FedEx

   FedEx Goes Public

   The company completes its initial public offering to finance network expansion.

4. 1985Qualcomm

   Qualcomm Founded

   Irwin Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi, and five colleagues found Qualcomm Incorporated in San Diego, California, initially operating as a telecommunications consulting and research firm from a converted restaurant building.

5. 1988Qualcomm

   OmniTRACS Commercial Launch

   Qualcomm commercially launches OmniTRACS, a satellite-based two-way messaging and positioning system for long-haul trucking that becomes the company's first profitable product and funds ongoing CDMA research.

6. 1989Qualcomm

   First Live CDMA Demonstration

   Qualcomm conducts its first outdoor live CDMA demonstration in San Diego, proving the technology works in real-world conditions and attracting serious attention from U.S. Cellular carriers and equipment manufacturers.

7. 1991Qualcomm

   Initial Public Offering

   Qualcomm goes public on the Nasdaq Stock Market in December 1991, raising approximately $43 million at $16 per share in an IPO that gives the company capital to accelerate CDMA commercialization.

8. 1993Qualcomm

   IS-95 CDMA Standard Adopted

   The Telecommunications Industry Association formally adopts IS-95, a CDMA standard based substantially on Qualcomm's technology, as an approved digital cellular standard in the United States validating the company's decade-long technological bet.

9. 1995Qualcomm

   First Commercial CDMA Network Launched

   Sprint PCS launches the first commercial CDMA cellular network in the United States, using Qualcomm-based technology and marking the beginning of large-scale commercial deployment that would define U.S. Wireless infrastructure for the next twenty years.

10. 1998FedEx

    Caliber System Acquisition

    FedEx acquires Caliber System for about $2.4 billion, adding the assets that become FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight.

11. 1999Qualcomm

    Strategic Exit from Infrastructure and Handsets

    Qualcomm sells its network infrastructure division to Ericsson and its handset manufacturing business to Kyocera, focusing the company entirely on chip design and patent licensing a strategic concentration that defines its business model to the present day.

12. 2004FedEx

    Acquired Kinko's

    FedEx acquired Kinko's for $2.4 billion. FedEx bought Kinko's for about $2.4 billion and rebranded the stores as FedEx Office.

13. 2007Qualcomm

    Snapdragon Platform Introduction

    Qualcomm introduces the Snapdragon brand for its mobile system-on-chip processors, establishing a consumer-facing identity for its mobile silicon that would become synonymous with premium Android smartphone performance over the following decade.

14. 2016FedEx

    TNT Express Acquisition

    FedEx acquires TNT Express for about $4.4 billion to expand its European and international express network.

15. 2019Qualcomm

    Apple Settlement and Licensing Agreement

    Following years of contentious litigation, Qualcomm and Apple reach a global settlement in April 2019 covering all pending litigation worldwide, with Apple agreeing to a multi-year chip supply deal and a licensing arrangement reportedly involving back payments…

16. 2021Qualcomm

    Nuvia Acquisition

    Qualcomm acquires Nuvia, a CPU startup founded by former Apple Silicon architects, for approximately $1.4 billion, bringing custom CPU design capabilities in-house that power the Oryon cores in Snapdragon 8 Elite and Snapdragon X Elite PC chips.

17. 2022FedEx

    Raj Subramaniam Becomes CEO

    Raj Subramaniam succeeds founder Frederick W. Smith as CEO, becoming only the second CEO in FedEx history, and launches the DRIVE and Network 2.0 transformation programs.

18. 2023Qualcomm

    Snapdragon X Elite PC Platform Launch

    Qualcomm launches the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus platforms for Windows PCs, powering Microsoft's Copilot+ PC initiative and marking the company's most significant push into personal computing since the failed Snapdragon 835 PC effort in 2017.

19. 2024Qualcomm

    Snapdragon 8 Elite Launch

    Qualcomm launches the Snapdragon 8 Elite, its first phone chip with custom Oryon CPU cores, built on TSMC's 3nm process.

20. 2025FedEx

    Founder Fred Smith Dies

    Frederick W. Smith dies on June 21, 2025. Longtime director R. Brad Martin becomes chairman and later executive chairman.

21. 2025Qualcomm

    Alphawave Semi Acquisition Completed

    Qualcomm completes its roughly $2.4B purchase of Alphawave Semi to accelerate data center connectivity products.

22. 2026FedEx

    FedEx Freight Spin-Off Completed

    On June 1, 2026 FedEx completes the spin-off of FedEx Freight Holding Company, which begins trading on the NYSE as FDXF.

23. 2026FedEx

    FY2026 Revenue Reaches $94.7B

    FedEx reports $94.720 billion in FY2026 revenue, $4.433 billion in net income, and capex of 4.0% of revenue, a record low ratio.

24. 2026Qualcomm

    Q2 FY2026 Results and $20B Buyback Authorization

    Qualcomm reports Q2 FY2026 revenue of $10.599B, record quarterly QCT automotive revenue, 20% year-over-year growth in combined QCT automotive and IoT revenue, and a new $20B repurchase authorization.

25. 2026Qualcomm

    Q3 FY2026 Results and $40B Non-Handset Target

    Qualcomm reports Q3 FY2026 revenue of $9.9B (down 4%), automotive revenue up 61% to $1.6B, and raises its FY2029 non-handset revenue target to $40B.

Acquisitions

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