General Motors vs Meta: Founders, CEOs and History

General Motors was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant and is led by Mary Barra. Meta was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum and is led by Mark Zuckerberg.

Company facts

General Motors

Founded: 1908
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan
Current CEO: Mary Barra
Employees: 155,000

Founders

General Motors

William C. Durant
General Motors possesses one of the most chaotic, and consequential founding stories in American business history, built entirely through the aggressive, acquisitions of a single, effective, flawed visionary.

General Motors founders in full

CEOs and their tenures

General Motors

Alfred P. Sloan1923–1956
Former President, CEO, and Chairman
Sloan is arguably the most influential corporate executive of the twentieth century.
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Rick Wagoner2000–2009
Former Chairman and CEO
Wagoner's tenure ended in historic disaster, culminating in the 2009 government-managed bankruptcy and his forced resignation by the Obama administration.
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Mary Barra2014–present
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Under Barra, GM has focused on profitability over global volume, regained the top U.S. sales spot, and returned large amounts of cash to shareholders through buybacks.
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Paul Jacobson2020–present
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Has emphasized cash generation, inventory and incentive discipline, and returning North America margins to the 8-10% range.
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Mark Reuss2020–present
President
Longtime GM product and engineering executive who previously led global product development.
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Sterling Anderson2025–present
Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer
Leads GM's in-house autonomous-driving effort after the end of Cruise robotaxi funding.
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General Motors CEO history in full

Timeline: General Motors and Meta side by side

1908General Motors
General Motors Founded
William C. Durant incorporates General Motors in Hudson, New Jersey, on September 16, 1908, with Buick Motor Company as its primary asset.
1909General Motors
Cadillac and Oldsmobile Acquired
GM acquires Oldsmobile and the prestigious Cadillac Automobile Company, establishing the multi-brand architecture that will define GM's market segmentation strategy for decades.
1923General Motors
Alfred Sloan Becomes President
Alfred P. Sloan takes the GM presidency and begins implementing the decentralized divisional management structure and market segmentation strategy that transforms GM into the world's most admired corporate organization.
1931General Motors
GM Surpasses Ford as World's Largest Automaker
General Motors overtakes Ford Motor Company as the world's largest automobile manufacturer by sales volume, a position it would hold for the majority of the next seven decades.
1984General Motors
Saturn Corporation Founded
GM establishes Saturn as a separate subsidiary intended to compete with Japanese small cars through innovative labor relations, retail practices, and manufacturing processes.
1996General Motors
OnStar Connected Vehicle Service Launched
GM introduces OnStar, the world's first embedded cellular connected vehicle service, offering emergency assistance, stolen vehicle tracking, and remote diagnostics.
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.
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.
2009General Motors
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Government Bailout
General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 1, 2009, with $49.5 billion in U.S. Government assistance as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
2010General Motors
IPO Return to Public Markets
General Motors returns to public markets through an initial public offering on November 18, 2010, raising approximately $23.1 billion - at the time one of the largest IPOs in U.S. History. The offering allows 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.
2014General Motors
Mary Barra Becomes CEO
Mary Barra, a 33-year GM veteran with a background in engineering and manufacturing, becomes CEO on January 15, 2014, becoming the first female CEO of a major global automaker.
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.
2016General Motors
Cruise Automation Acquired
GM acquires Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based autonomous vehicle startup, for approximately $1 billion - at the time one of the largest acquisitions in GM's modern history.
2021General Motors
Ultium Platform and EV Commitment Announced
GM announces its commitment to invest more than $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025 and introduces the Ultium battery platform as the technological foundation for dozens of future EV models across all four U.S. Brands.
2021Meta
Facebook becomes Meta
Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta in 2021 to bring its apps and technologies under a new company brand.
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.
2024General Motors
Cruise Robotaxi Program Ended
Following the October 2023 Cruise pedestrian incident and a long operational pause, GM announced in December 2024 that it would stop funding Cruise's robotaxi business and fold the unit's technology work into GM.
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.
2025General Motors
EV Capacity Cut and $7.6 Billion in EV Charges
After the U.S. federal EV tax credit expired on September 30, 2025, GM cut EV production capacity and recorded about $7.6 billion of EV-related charges for the year.
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.
2026General Motors
Guidance Raised as North America Margins Recover
GM reported Q2 2026 revenue of $48.0 billion and EBIT-adjusted of $3.9 billion, with North America margins back in its 8-10% target range, and raised full-year 2026 EBIT-adjusted guidance to $14.0-16.0 billion.
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

General Motors

Cruise Automation2016$1B
Buick Motor Company (Original Acquisition)1908Undisclosed

All General Motors acquisitions

Questions about General Motors vs Meta

Who is the CEO of General Motors Company and Meta Platforms, Inc.?

General Motors Company is led by Mary Barra 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 General Motors Company founded vs Meta Platforms, Inc.?

General Motors Company was founded in 1908 — 96 years before Meta Platforms, Inc., which was founded in 2004. General Motors 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 General Motors Company have compared to Meta Platforms, Inc.?

General Motors Company employs approximately 155,000 people, while Meta Platforms, Inc. employs approximately 75,472. General Motors Company has the larger workforce at 155,000 employees, compared to Meta Platforms, Inc.'s 75,472. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).

Where are General Motors Company and Meta Platforms, Inc. headquartered?

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

Who founded General Motors Company and Meta Platforms, Inc.?

General Motors Company was founded by William C. Durant. Meta Platforms, Inc. was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes.

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

General Motors Company has been operating for approximately 118 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 General Motors vs Meta overview