Company names you may have been mispronouncing

These famous brands used to have different names

Did you know that Nike used to be called Blue Ribbon Sports? Or that Google was originally named BackRub? Getting a brand's name right is a tough job; there's an entire cottage industry of brand naming agencies to prove it. See which brands got it right the first time—and which ones might be better off with their current names—in this article.

Find 36 hidden messages in these household name company logos

'Genericide:' Learn how too much brand awareness can hurt a company's trademark

When a brand becomes so popular that consumers regularly call the product by the brand name like a noun or verb, that trademark becomes generic because consumers no longer associate a specific brand with a certain product. A generic product can hurt a company's right to trademark or even cause companies to lose it. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Frisbee, Jet Ski, and Dumpster—explore a list of words you might not realize are trademarked

Many products that have become household names started out as first-of-a-kind items. As those products grew in popularity, the brand name became the default name for the product.

Understanding the structure of the Chinese phonetic alphabet

Translating Chinese names from Chinese to English characters is a complex process, one in which the original name’s meaning can become muddled. This article uses graphics to explain the structure of Hanyu Pinyin, the most commonly used Chinese phonetic alphabet. Visualize how the Pinyin romanization system can lead to name ambiguity, and therefore make it challenging to identify individuals based solely on Pinyin.

Explore how 10,000 different American cities got their name.

A list of MBA jargon, complete with a ‘corporate BS generator’

From the classroom to the boardroom, MBA students hear plenty of corporate jargon in their lifetimes (think: “bandwidth,” “turnkey solution,” “modularize,” and more). This website—a relic from the internet—includes an MBA jargon dictionary and a corporate BS generator tool that creates helpful phrases for office life, like “incubate synergistic e-markets.”

See the world's largest fashion companies, from Nike to H&M, ranked by their CO2 emissions.

40 key stock market terms, explained

Liquidity. Forex. Capitalization. Blue chip stocks. These are just a few pieces of stock market vocabulary most people who don't spend all day on a trading floor might not know. Thankfully, we found a fun infographic that makes it easier to learn what 40 key stock market terms mean and why each of them matters.

Chinese clothing retailer Shein accounts for about half of fast-fashion sales in America.

Explore a list of trademarked phrases

Trademarks can extend to phrases and slogans when the words become brand identifiers. Some phrases that have been trademarked are famed boxing announcer Michael Buffer's "Let's get ready to rumble!" and reality television star Paris Hilton's "That's hot."

Words used in cannabis business names

As selling recreational cannabis becomes legal in many states across the US, cannabis dispensaries are increasingly common. While one might expect each of these dispensaries to have vastly different names, one study found that the names have some consistent similarities. Businesses with "beach vibes" or "green" in the name seem particularly common. Explore the full data visual here.

Visualize every brand that AB InBev owns

The giant beverage holding company AB InBev owns many, many more brands than just Budweiser and Bud Light. From Africa to Asia and beyond, this image helps visualize the immense number of brands that AB InBev is responsible for.

Nike is one of the world's most recognizable brands, partly due to its 'swoosh' logo.

Dinosaur names have shifted from ancient languages to pop culture references

Early dinosaur names used Greek and Latin roots, often just attaching “-saurus” (lizard) to another word describing a notable trait. Over time, this convention has evolved to incorporate the names of where the discovery was made, local languages, and even celebrities.

The Coca-Cola Company also owns Sprite, Smartwater, and many more brands

The parent company owns lots of beverage brands, from sodas to water, including Dasani, Minute Maid, Topo-Chico, and more. You can see all of the roughly 200 brands it owns on its website.

The US Board on Geographic Names is responsible for ensuring uniform usage of geographic names within the government.

Even iconic companies can get dropped from the Dow

The Dow’s lineup evolves as the economy changes. General Electric, part of the original 1896 index, was removed in 2018, after 122 years. ExxonMobil, once the world’s largest company, was replaced by Salesforce in 2020.

Many of the 2010s girlboss-era founders experienced a public fall from grace in 2020

In the 2010s, dozens of female founders were celebrated on the covers of business magazines like Inc. for their recent startup success, from Emily Weiss’s Glossier makeup brand to Steph Korey’s Away luggage company. But many of these companies were also the subject of large takedown articles around the year 2020.

View a list of companies owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet

These companies include Google subsidiaries like YouTube, the biggest online video sharing and streaming platform, Nest, which manufactures smart products like speakers and thermostats, and Waymo, the technology company developing self-driving cars.

Learn what different trademark symbols mean

In the US, brands can technically use a trademark without actually filing a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office—which is where the ™ symbol comes from. However, brands that have officially filed trademarks can use the ® symbol in their branding.

In 2025, Apple devices couldn't send audio messages with the phrase 'Dave & Buster's'

The transcription engine in iOS 18, which converts speech to text in the Messages app, had been incorrectly processing phrases with the ampersand ("&") symbol. The error was corrected via a bug fix after extensive user error reports.

'Dilution' is any use of a trademark that weakens its distinctiveness

Unlike trademark infringement that hinges on the likelihood of confusing customers, trademark dilution is an illegal practice that threatens the distinctiveness of a trademark. In the US, famous brands like Nike and Google have a right to protection from dilution.

What we learned about Google

Google processes over 8.5 billion searches every day—more than the number of people on Earth. This short breakdown covers how the company evolved from a Stanford research project into a global tech leader, with products like YouTube, Gmail, and Android reaching billions worldwide.

Band names often fit into 'semantic spaces'

Linguist Chi Luu explains that we often understand and identify with band names, even if they're odd (or nonsensical) word combinations, based on their associations with other words. For example, bands that begin with "The" often nod to 1960s garage rock; heavy metal bands often rely on morbid or funereal words.

The top 100 companies in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley has pumped out some of the biggest companies in the world, including Apple, Meta, and Google. Thousands of companies operate in the area, ranging from valuations in the trillions to startups only worth thousands.

The world's 50 most valuable private companies

While public companies typically have the highest valuations, private companies get close. This list breaks down the top 50 as of 2025, with SpaceX at the top with a value of $350B, followed by ByteDance. Over three-fifths of the list are located in the US, with eight in China.

Explore how the most commonly used words in the English language have changed from the 1950s to 2023.

Explore the brands owned by Estée Lauder Companies

While Estée Lauder remains the flagship brand and namesake of the cosmetic conglomerate, the company owns more than 20 premier brands. Some of the brands—like Clinique and Origin—were created in-house, but others—like Tom Ford and Jo Malone—are a result of the company's acquisition strategy, which often targets companies with high-end retail products.

The 7-Eleven logo intentionally uses a lowercase 'n', something the company president's wife said made it look friendlier.

How companies track you around the internet, explained

Being able to track how users behave on websites is a massive opportunity for companies to hone their products, target their ads, and more. Dozens of trackers are on the average website you visit, depending on how you deal with that site's cookie policy, and Google is the chief tracker of them all. Learn about these companies and what they are tracking with this informative blog visualization.

Extreme Games rebranded as X Games for global appeal

In 1996, ESPN shortened “Extreme Games” to “X Games” to make the name easier to translate for international broadcasts and to strengthen branding as the competition expanded to global markets.

How Standard Oil created Chevron and ExxonMobil

Standard Oil was eventually ordered to separate into 34 different entities, and over the following years, those 34 companies merged into what is now called the “Big Four” in the oil industry.

See the 25 largest initial public offerings in US history.

These 25 companies—which include UPS, Uber Technologies, AT&T, and The Kraft Heinz Co.—had some of the biggest IPO drops in US history. However, not all these drops led to long-term (or even immediate) success.

Five surprising things your GPS can do

You’d be surprised at all the things that GPS—the global positioning system that underlies all of modern navigation—can do. Here's a quick breakdown.

Tech giants like SpaceX and Meta are increasingly behaving like sovereign powers

Companies now make unilateral decisions once reserved for nation-states, such as controlling satellite internet access in active war zones and influencing global information flows. Lawmakers and the international order are struggling to keep up with technological developments, let alone regulate them.

How do maps get their place names in multilingual areas?

In countries with multiple local dialects, cartographers struggle to standardize place names enough to create maps of the region. This process inevitably leads to conflict. Case in point, Switzerland, where in the late 1800s many dialects called the same places by different names, leading one alienated community to demand the return of its local names. Read about this and several other examples of contentious place-naming on maps here.

The history and success of the mysterious Mars Inc.

Mars, Incorporated manufactures some of the world’s favorite treats, including M&M’s, Snickers, and Milky Way bars. Despite their success, you’ve probably not heard of them. The privately held company is largely unknown to the world despite being owned by the second-richest family in the US. This podcast discusses the mysterious Mars family and their remarkable entrepreneurial feat. Listen to uncover more.

Budweiser temporarily changed its name to ‘America’ in 2016

In the run-up to the 2016 United States Presidential Election, Budweiser changed its name as part of a marketing campaign that ran from the end of May through the November election itself.

Trademarks are a form of consumer protection

Trademarks help brands distinguish their products from competitors, but they also give consumers clarity around the product they are buying and where it comes from. Distinguishable names help prevent consumer confusion and maintain a consumer's ability to choose their preferred product and brand.

Companies sometimes change which stock exchange they're listed on.

Explore a list of well-known monopolies

Many American monopolies popped up during the rapid industrial growth of the Gilded Age. Industries like steel, tobacco, railroads, and telecommunication have all been monopolized at some point in history.

The S&P 500 is composed of 500 companies, but has more than 500 total listings

Since some large companies have dual-class stock structures (like Alphabet and Fox Corporation), there are multiple listings on the S&P 500 for the same company. S&P Global has banned and then reversed bans on companies with dual-class structures multiple times since first allowing dual-class stocks in 2014.

There's no right way to say 'taco'

While Americans ("tah-co") and Brits ("tack-oh") might argue about the correct pronunciation, both are understood in Spanish-speaking countries. Linguists note that the word's pronunciation is ever-evolving and informed by various cultural, psychological, and historical factors.

When naming a newly discovered species, it is generally frowned upon for scientists to name it after themselves, their children, or other family members.

Many of the projects major consulting firms work on are kept secret, some firms provide a few examples of real-world client work

A list of client work examples from McKinsey includes a case study on how the firm helped Starbucks design more inclusive stores, and many more.

Translating ‘Harry Potter’ required creativity across 60+ languages

This Vox video explores how translators adapted JK Rowling’s wordplay, invented spells, and cultural references—reimagining names and magical terms while attempting to preserve humor, rhythm, and meaning for readers around the world.

Crypto history's is full of bizarre stories

Digital currencies based solely on misspellings of former President Joe Biden’s name have skyrocketed, and backers of a token based on a Shiba Inu wearing a hat raised $690K to get their logo on the Las Vegas Sphere.

Many of the top companies in the US by market cap began as tech startups

Combined, the top seven companies by market cap in the US as of December 2024—Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Tesla—were worth more than $16T at the time.

Common mistakes we make about the world map

Maps have long loosely approximated what the world actually looks like. Here's a few common errors that persist due to outdated conceptions of the world.