Seeing Japanese folks list their top 20 list here (With Sony 2nd and Nintendo 7th), I felt compelled to do the same for my country and would like to hear what other folks have to say about theirs. Let's keep it private companies only, so any governement owned one is invalid (i.e. can't name NASA or DARPA, for example). I also won't mention sports companies (i.e. NBA/NFL, but feel free to do so if you would like).
Here's mine (USA).
1. Google - because of how awesome they are. I am not stupid to think they do everything out of the goodness of their heart, and yes everything is done for a profit, but smart thermostat, robots, self driving cars, life extension, etc etc are all something I can get behind. Plus youtube and google are my two most visited sites.
2. Apple - Whether you like it or not revolutionized the phone and brought tablets to the masses. My one complaint about Apple is that I think they should use their money to create some new tech like google is doing.
3. Tesla - anything Elon Musk does is awesome and this is the top of the list. My next car will be a (hopefully self driving) Tesla Model E
4. Amazon - from books to the biggest online store in the world to leader on e-readers. Amazon also has the best customer service out of any retail store I had to deal with
5. Disney - the parks are great, the movies are great. Lacks in the gaming department, but
6. Nike - sports brand leader worldwide. Plus I really like their products.
7. Microsoft - has its problems, but created XBox, Windows, and many other products that are used WW
8. Ford - Only big american car company that didn't have to be bailed out. Plus I have a soft spot for Mustangs
9. Time Warner - Owns Warner Brothers which owns DC. Awesome movies and now awesome games
10. Walmart - you can always find cheap products at walmart
11. Vizio - Brought cheap LCD TVs to the masses and is doing the same with cheap LEDs. I have a vizio and I think it's arguably the best bang for your buck for TVs. I would wish they would expand into tablets/phones though.
12. Twitter - I really enjoy using twitter and it's an easy way to communicate with whoever you want
13. Hasbro - I think the majority of toys I played as a kid and even some board games I still play today is or was made by Hasbro
14. Facebook - worldwide leader in the social network space
15. SpaceX - No private company has ever done what SpaceX has.
16. SolarCity - Yet another company where Musk has his paws on. If he launches a hyperloop company, I feel like it would make my list as well
17. ExxonMobil - biggest refiner in the world
18. Boeing - largest aerospace manufacturer in the world
19. General Motors - though they killed Pontiac and had to be rescued by the government, I still like their automobiles and they are always top 3 automakers in the world in terms of sales every year.
20. Under Armor - From unknown to being as big as it is now. I think their growth potential is pretty big now that they are expanding overseas. Would like to see them becoming firmly #3 WW
Honorable Mentions: McDonalds, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Sony Computer Entertainment (technically an American company with a JP parent), Harley Davidson, Miller Lite, Comcast, Fox, Viacom, Chevron, Intel, Berkshire Hathaway, Texas do Brazil, Lowes, Home Depot, IBM, and probaby others I'm forgetting.
