Moderna vs Pfizer: Founders, CEOs and History
Moderna was founded in 2010 by Derrick Rossi, Robert Langer, Noubar Afeyan and is led by Stéphane Bancel. Pfizer was founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer, Charles Erhart and is led by Albert Bourla.
Company facts
Founders
Moderna
Derrick Rossi
Rossi's discovery gave Moderna its name, from 'modified RNA'. He served on the company's early scientific advisory board but did not run it; Stéphane Bancel was recruited as CEO in 2011.
Robert Langer
Robert Langer has served on Moderna's board of directors since its founding and has been instrumental in guiding the company's scientific strategy and partnerships.
Noubar Afeyan
Noubar Afeyan has served as Moderna's chairman since its founding and has been the architect of the company's strategic vision and capital structure.
Kenneth Chien
Chien's work on modified mRNA encoding VEGF-A for heart repair underpinned Moderna's early cardiovascular collaboration with AstraZeneca. He later moved to the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and stepped back from day-to-day involvement.
Pfizer
Charles Pfizer
Pfizer possesses a historic, immigrant founding story, rooted entirely in the rapid industrial expansion of 19th-century Brooklyn and defined by an effective, intensely meticulous German chemist and his ambitious confectioner cousin.
Charles Erhart
Charles Erhart's role in Pfizer's founding is less celebrated than his cousin's, partly because the company carries Charles Pfizer's name and partly because his commercial contributions were less visible than the scientific achievements that drove the company'…
CEOs and their tenures
Moderna
- Noubar Afeyan2010–present
Co-Founder & Chairman
Provided the foundational venture capital and scientific direction through Flagship Pioneering to invent the mRNA therapeutic delivery platform.
Source - Stéphane Bancel2011–present
Chief Executive Officer (first CEO)
Bancel has led Moderna from a pre-revenue startup to a $180 billion market cap at its peak, overseeing the development of Spikevax in record time and the company's transition to a multi-product biotechnology enterprise.
Source - Stephen Hoge2012–present
President
Physician and former McKinsey partner who joined in 2012 and oversees research and development, including the respiratory and oncology programs.
Source - Jamey Mock2022–present
Chief Financial Officer
Former PerkinElmer CFO who has led Moderna's post-pandemic cost reductions and cash guidance.
Source
Pfizer
- Ian Read2010–2018
Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive of Pfizer from 2010 until December 31, 2018; Albert Bourla succeeded him as CEO on January 1, 2019.
Source - Albert Bourla2019–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
A veterinarian by training who joined Pfizer Animal Health in 1993, Bourla became CEO on January 1, 2019 and Chairman in 2020.
Source - Dave Denton2022–2026
Chief Financial Officer
Former CVS Health CFO who ran Pfizer finance through the Seagen financing and cost program, leaving on August 15, 2026 for a consumer goods company.
Source - Chris Boshoff2025–present
Chief Scientific Officer and President, Research & Development
Former Chief Oncology Officer who took over all of Pfizer R&D effective January 1, 2025.
Source - Cecile Guegan2026–present
Interim Chief Financial Officer
Previously senior vice president of finance for Pfizer's global biopharmaceuticals business; became interim CFO after Dave Denton left on August 15, 2026.
Source
Timeline: Moderna and Pfizer side by side
1849Pfizer
Pfizer Founded
Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart founded the company in Brooklyn.
1944Pfizer
Penicillin Scale-Up
Pfizer helped industrialize penicillin production during World War II.
2000Pfizer
Warner-Lambert Deal
Pfizer acquired Warner-Lambert, adding Lipitor.
2005Moderna
Karikó and Weissman Publish Modified mRNA Research
Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman at the University of Pennsylvania publish foundational research demonstrating that modified nucleosides in mRNA can evade the body's inflammatory response, solving the key obstacle preventing mRNA therapeutics from clinical app…
2010Moderna
Moderna Therapeutics Founded in Cambridge
Derrick Rossi, Robert Langer, Noubar Afeyan, Kenneth Chien, and Timothy Springer found Moderna Therapeutics in September 2010, with Flagship Pioneering providing seed funding and incubation.
2011Moderna
Stéphane Bancel Appointed Founding CEO
Stéphane Bancel, former CEO of bioMérieux and executive at Eli Lilly, joins Moderna as founding CEO, bringing pharmaceutical commercial experience to the scientific founding team.
2012Moderna
Moderna Emerges from Stealth with $40M Series A
Moderna emerges from two years of stealth operation with a $40 million Series A financing, revealing its mRNA platform technology to the public for the first time.
2013Moderna
AstraZeneca mRNA Collaboration
Moderna signs a collaboration with AstraZeneca in March 2013 including a $240 million upfront payment to discover and develop mRNA therapeutics for cardiovascular, metabolic, renal and cancer targets, before any Moderna drug had been tested in humans.
2016Moderna
Merck Partnership for Personalized Cancer Vaccines
Moderna and Merck agree in 2016 to co-develop personalized mRNA cancer vaccines combined with Keytruda, the collaboration behind mRNA-4157 (later named intismeran autogene).
2018Moderna
Moderna Completes $604 Million IPO
Moderna lists on Nasdaq in December 2018, raising about $604 million at a valuation of roughly $7.5 billion, one of the largest biotech IPOs at the time.
2020Moderna
COVID-19 Vaccine Development in Record Time
Moderna selects mRNA-1273 as its COVID-19 vaccine candidate on January 13, 2020, just two days after the SARS-CoV-2 sequence was published.
2020Pfizer
BioNTech COVID Vaccine Partnership
Pfizer and BioNTech brought Comirnaty through emergency authorization.
2021Moderna
COVID-19 Vaccine Revenue Reaches $18.5 Billion
Moderna reports 2021 revenue of $18.5 billion and net income of $12.2 billion, almost entirely from its COVID-19 vaccine, its first year of profitability.
2022Moderna
Revenue Peaks at $19.3 Billion
Moderna reports 2022 revenue of $19.3 billion and net income of $8.4 billion, the high point of pandemic sales, as Spikevax is approved and sold under commercial contracts.
2023Moderna
Revenue Falls to $6.8 Billion
Revenue drops to $6.8 billion in 2023 as COVID vaccination turns seasonal, and Moderna posts a $4.7 billion net loss including write-downs tied to excess manufacturing commitments.
2023Pfizer
Seagen Acquisition
Pfizer completed the $43 billion Seagen acquisition.
2024Moderna
mRESVIA Approved for RSV Prevention
The FDA approves mRESVIA (mRNA-1345) in May 2024 for RSV prevention in adults 60 and older, Moderna's first non-COVID product.
2025Moderna
Revenue Falls to $1.9 Billion as Costs Are Cut
Moderna reports 2025 revenue of $1.94 billion and a $2.82 billion net loss, while cutting operating expenses by about $2.2 billion.
2025Moderna
CMV Vaccine Fails Phase 3 Primary Endpoint
Moderna says in October 2025 that its cytomegalovirus vaccine mRNA-1647 failed its Phase 3 primary endpoint and discontinues the congenital CMV program.
2025Pfizer
Chris Boshoff Becomes CSO
Chris Boshoff became Chief Scientific Officer and President, Research & Development effective January 1, 2025.
2025Pfizer
Metsera Acquisition
Pfizer completed its acquisition of obesity drug developer Metsera in November 2025 for up to about $10 billion including CVRs.
2025Pfizer
FY2025 Revenue Base
Pfizer reported $62.579 billion of FY2025 revenue.
2026Moderna
FDA Approves mFLUSIVA, First mRNA Flu Vaccine
After an initial FDA refusal-to-file letter early in 2026 was resolved, the FDA approves mFLUSIVA (mRNA-1010) on August 5, 2026 for adults 50 and older, full approval for ages 50-64 and accelerated approval for 65 and older.
2026Moderna
Intismeran Autogene Meets Phase 3 Melanoma Endpoint
On August 19, 2026 Merck and Moderna report that intismeran autogene plus Keytruda met the primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival and the key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival in the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial in resected stage IIB-…
2026Pfizer
Innovent Oncology Collaboration
Pfizer signed a 12-program cancer collaboration with Innovent Biologics: $650 million upfront and up to $9.85 billion in milestones.
Acquisitions
Pfizer
- Metsera, Inc.2025$7B
- Seagen Inc.2023$43B
- Medivation Inc.2016$14B
- Wyeth2009$68B
- Pharmacia Corporation2003$60B
- Warner-Lambert Company2000$111B
Questions about Moderna vs Pfizer
Who is the CEO of Moderna, Inc. and Pfizer Inc.?
Moderna, Inc. is led by Stéphane Bancel and Pfizer Inc. is led by Albert Bourla. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Moderna, Inc. founded vs Pfizer Inc.?
Pfizer Inc. was founded in 1849 — 161 years before Moderna, Inc., which was founded in 2010. Pfizer Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Moderna, Inc..
How many employees does Moderna, Inc. have compared to Pfizer Inc.?
Moderna, Inc. employs approximately 4,700 people, while Pfizer Inc. employs approximately 75,000. Pfizer Inc. has the larger workforce at 75,000 employees, compared to Moderna, Inc.'s 4,700. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Moderna, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. headquartered?
Both Moderna, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Moderna, Inc. and Pfizer Inc.?
Moderna, Inc. was founded by Derrick Rossi, Robert Langer, Noubar Afeyan, Kenneth Chien. Pfizer Inc. was founded by Charles Pfizer, Charles Erhart.
Which company has a longer operating history — Moderna, Inc. or Pfizer Inc.?
Pfizer Inc. has been operating for approximately 177 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Moderna, Inc. has been in operation for around 16 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 Moderna vs Pfizer overview