> During his tenure at the top of GE the company created more wealth for its investors than any company ever in the recorded history of U.S. publicly traded com

> During his tenure at the top of GE the company created more wealth for its investors than any company ever in the recorded history of U.S. publicly traded companies. GE’s value increased 40-fold (4000%) from 1981 to 2001. Management went from not being rewarded with significant stock options to owning a third of the company during that period, so "created wealth for investors" is a slippery term. > From what was mostly a diversified manufacturing company Mr. Welch led GE into real estate as those assets increased in value, then media as advertising revenues skyrocketed and finally financial services as deregulation opened the market for the greatest returns in banking history. And we all know how well that ended.