General Motors vs Target: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: General Motors and Target side by side

1. 1902Target

   Dayton Company is founded

   George Dayton becomes a partner in Goodfellow's Dry Goods Company in Minneapolis in 1902, then sole owner in 1903, renaming it Dayton Dry Goods Company -- the business that eventually becomes Target Corporation.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 1962Target

   First Target store opens

   The first Target discount store opens in Roseville, Minnesota.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 2000Target

   Company becomes Target Corporation

   Dayton Hudson changes its name to Target Corporation as the discount chain becomes the center of the company.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 2013Target

    Target Data Breach

    Target discloses a data breach affecting more than 40 million customer payment cards during the holiday shopping season, becoming one of the most-cited cybersecurity failures in US retail history.

13. 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.

14. 2014Target

    Dermstore Acquired

    Target acquires online beauty retailer Dermstore to expand its e-commerce beauty business; it sells the unit to THG for $350 million in 2021.

15. 2015Target

    Target Exits Canada

    Target announced in January 2015 that it would close all of its Canadian stores, ending an expansion that began in 2013.

16. 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.

17. 2017Target

    Target acquires Shipt and Grand Junction

    Target acquires same-day delivery platform Shipt for about $550 million and transportation-technology startup Grand Junction, accelerating omnichannel fulfillment.

18. 2020Target

    Stores become fulfillment hubs

    Target's store-based fulfillment model becomes central to digital growth during the pandemic period.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 2025Target

    Michael Fiddelke named next CEO

    Target announces that Michael Fiddelke will succeed Brian Cornell as CEO effective February 1, 2026, after 22 years rising through the company including as CFO and COO.

23. 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.

24. 2026Target

    FY2025 revenue is reported

    Target reports FY2025 revenue of $104.780B and net income of $3.705B, the third consecutive year of revenue decline.

25. 2026Target

    Q1 FY2026 sales rebound

    Target reports Q1 FY2026 net sales growth of 6.7% and comparable sales growth of 5.6% under new CEO Michael Fiddelke.

26. 2026Target

    Q2 FY2026 growth and raised outlook

    Target reports Q2 FY2026 net sales of $26.5B (+5.3%), comparable sales growth of 3.8% and raises full-year guidance to about 5% sales growth.

Acquisitions

Questions about General Motors vs Target