Samsung

Lee Byung-Chull founded Samsung as a grocery trading store in Taegu, Korea, trading noodles and other goods produced in and around the city and exporting them to China and its provinces.

Lee Byung-chul established Samsung as a trading company in Taegu, which is now part of South Korea, in 1938. It took around 30 years for Samsung to transition into a technology company.

In 1947, Samsung expanded to Seoul before leaving due to the outbreak of the Korean War, marking a significant period of growth and relocation for the company.

Samsung-Sanyo Electronics, later known as Samsung Electronics, was established in 1969, marking the beginning of Samsung's journey into the electronics industry.

Samsung started mass producing home appliances and entered the electronics industry, gaining global recognition in the 70s.

On August 5, 1974, Samsung Heavy Industries was founded, marking the establishment of a significant player in the heavy industry sector.

In 1983, Samsung started the production of personal computers, marking its expansion into the computer industry.

By the end of 1984, Samsung achieved a remarkable milestone as its sales reached one trillion Won, reflecting the company's substantial growth and success in the market.

On August 29, 1985, Samsung is designated as the official sponsor of the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympic Games, showcasing its growing influence and reputation.

Samsung Electric Industries merged with Samsung Semiconductor & Communications to form Samsung Electronics.

In 1996, Lee Kun-hee, the leader of Samsung, faced a corruption scandal and received a suspended sentence for bribery.

In 1998, Samsung achieved the development and mass production of flat-screen televisions and digital TVs, marking a significant technological advancement.

In 2000, Mr. Lee, upset about poor quality, ordered 150,000 phones, fax machines, and other devices to be burned in front of employees at a factory in Gumi, South Korea, making a bold statement about the company's commitment to quality.

Samsung releases the SPH-1300, an early prototype of a touch-screen slab-phone with a finger-centric interface. Reviewer Bruce Brown notes the disadvantage of using a touch screen as a phone dialer.

Samsung pioneers the development of the first speech-recognition phone, showcasing its commitment to technological innovation in the mobile industry.

On August 9, 2007, Samsung acquired Genoa Color Technologies, an Israel-based company known for developing color-based technologies for various display devices. This acquisition expanded Samsung's capabilities in the display technology sector.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note, a significant milestone in the evolution of smartphones.

The Samsung Galaxy S was released on June 29, 2010, which was a key moment in the competition between iPhone and Samsung phones.

Samsung acquires Liquavista, a company known for its electrowetting electronic display technology used in e-readers, mobile phones, and media players, offering lower battery power consumption compared to existing display technologies.

Samsung acquires spin-transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) vendor Grandis Inc. The acquired company is expected to merge into Samsung R&D operations focused on developing next-generation memory, where new semiconductor materials and structures are reviewed for their long-term commercial value.

In January 29, 2013, Samsung acquired NVELO, a storage solutions firm based in Santa Clara, California. NVELO is known for developing next-generation SSD storage solutions and optimizing the use of solid state drives within subsystems.

On July 3, 2013, Samsung acquired NeuroLogica, a medical imaging company based in Danvers, Massachusetts. NeuroLogica is recognized for its portable computed tomography (CT) scanners, including BodyTom and CereTom. This acquisition reflects Samsung's expansion into the medical technology business.

Samsung acquires Israeli and New York City-based streaming media and entertainment startup Boxee for US$ 30 million to expand its presence in the smart TV market.

Samsung acquired SmartThings, a rapidly growing home automation startup, for US$ 200 million. SmartThings enables users to synchronize their connected devices through a single smartphone app and hardware hub.

The release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge on March 1, 2015, introduced a new series of smartphones with innovative features.

In 2016, Samsung acquired Joyent, a San Francisco-based public and private cloud provider, enabling Samsung to gradually migrate infrastructure and data to its own cloud platform for better control and economies of scale.

Samsung acquired the luxury kitchen appliances brand DACOR as part of its expansion into the luxury market within the home appliance portfolio.

Samsung acquired the next-gen artificial intelligence assistant Viv, which developed an open AI platform for third-party developers to build conversational assistants and integrate natural language-based interfaces into applications and services.

In 2016, Samsung acquired American Harman International Industries for US$ 8 billion. Harman is known for designing and engineering connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide.

On February 3, 2017, Samsung acquired United States-based quantum dot specialist QD Vision, aiming to bolster its long-term vision for display, TV, and potentially other businesses.

Samsung acquires home monitoring software company Perch to enhance their Internet of Things system. Perch is known for developing a smart home monitoring platform that allows the use of old smartphones as security cameras.

Samsung acquired New York-based mobile virtual reality startup VRB for US$ 5.5 million. The startup has developed several apps to capture and view 360-degree content.

On November 6, 2017, Samsung officially appointed the third-generation heir Lee as the chairman, signifying a significant leadership change within the company.

Samsung acquired the medical imaging company NeuroLogica in a series of transactions confirmed by multiple sources including techcrunch.com, samsung.com, healthcareglobal.com, and slashgear.com. The acquisition was finalized on November 26, 2017.

Samsung acquired Shelby.tv and closed it down to develop its own curated video service.

Samsung entered the Bitcoin mining industry by developing cryptocurrency mining chips, marking its foray into the cryptocurrency market.

Samsung acquired SmartThings for approximately $200 million.

Samsung Electronics completed the acquisition of HARMAN for $8 billion, aiming to strengthen their position in the automotive technology market.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 in 2020, contributing to the technology and smartphone market with its advanced features and design.

CES 2023 is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) where companies like Samsung showcase their latest innovations and products.

Samsung has implemented mandatory 6 day workweeks for its executives as the company enters 'Emergency Mode' due to falling short of performance expectations.