In 2020, GE ranked among the Fortune 500 as the 33rd largest firm in the United States by gross revenue.[6] In 2023, the company was ranked 64th in the Forbes Global 2000.[7] In 2011, GE ranked among the Fortune 20 as the 14th most profitable company, but later very severely underperformed the market (by about 75%) as its profitability collapsed.[8][9][10] Two employees of GE – Irving Langmuir (1932) and Ivar Giaever (1973) – have been awarded the Nobel Prize.[11]
On November 9, 2021, the company announced it would divide itself into three public companies. On July 18, 2022, GE unveiled the brand names of the companies it will create through its planned separation: GE Aerospace, GE HealthCare and GE Vernova.[12][13] The new companies will be focused on aerospace, healthcare, and energy (renewable energy, power, and digital). The first spin-off of GE HealthCare was finalized on January 4, 2023;[14] GE continues to hold 10.24% of shares and intends to sell the remaining over time.[15] This will be followed by the spin-off of GE's portfolio of energy businesses which plan to become GE Vernova in 2024.[16] Following these transactions, GE will be an aviation-focused company; GE Aerospace will be the legal successor of the original GE.[17][18][19]