Quest Diagnostics vs Samsung: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Quest Diagnostics and Samsung side by side

1. 1938Samsung

   Samsung Group begins

   Lee Byung-chul founded Samsung as a trading company before later generations expanded the group into electronics and industry.

2. 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.

3. 1969Samsung

   Samsung Electronics established

   Samsung Electronics Industry Co. Ltd. was established as the group entered electronics manufacturing.

4. 1977Samsung

   Korea Semiconductor acquired

   Samsung acquired Korea Semiconductor, a key step toward memory and component manufacturing leadership.

5. 1982Quest Diagnostics

   Corning Glass Works Acquires MetPath

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

6. 1993Samsung

   New Management initiative

   Lee Kun-hee launched the New Management push to raise quality, design, and global competitiveness.

7. 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.

8. 1999Quest Diagnostics

   Acquisition of SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories

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

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. 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.

13. 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.

14. 2017Samsung

    Harman acquisition closes

    Samsung completed the Harman acquisition, expanding into connected car systems and premium audio.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 2022Samsung

    Jong-Hee Han becomes CEO

    Jong-Hee Han became CEO of Samsung Electronics Co. in 2022. A longtime TV business leader who helped keep Samsung the top global TV brand.

20. 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.

21. 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…

22. 2024Samsung

    Jun Young-hyun becomes CEO

    Jun Young-hyun became CEO of Samsung Electronics Co. in 2024. Head of the semiconductor (Device Solutions) division and memory business; sole CEO for part of 2025 after Han Jong-hee's death, then co-CEO with TM Roh from November 2025.

23. 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…

24. 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%).

25. 2025Samsung

    TM Roh joins Young Hyun Jun as co-CEO

    Samsung named TM Roh Head of Device eXperience and CEO, joining Young Hyun Jun as co-CEO.

26. 2025Samsung

    Annual revenue reaches ~$237B (KRW 333.6T)

    Samsung Electronics reported ~$237 billion (KRW 333.6 trillion) in 2025 annual revenue and ~$31 billion (KRW 43.6 trillion) in operating profit.

27. 2025Samsung

    Roh Tae-moon (TM Roh) becomes CEO

    Roh Tae-moon (TM Roh) became CEO of Samsung Electronics Co. in 2025. Longtime head of the mobile business.

28. 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.

29. 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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