This is Matt Reustle and today we are breaking down the historic General Electric. Today’s GE barely resembles what was once the largest company in the world. We cover GE’s business strategy, how it lost the right to be an industrial conglomerate and the role GE Capital played in its rise.
Our guest is Josh Aguilar, a GE Analyst at Morningstar and enthusiast on all things capital allocation.

If you’d like to hear more on the early years of General Electric and particularly Thomas Edison – make sure to check out our newest Colossus teammate David Senra and his podcast Founders. After my conversation, you’ll hear a preview of David’s episode on Edison.

Show Notes
[00:00:00] – Introduction
[00:04:05] – [First question] – What GE looks like today compared to its peak
[00:07:42] – The reasons why GE lost so much of its power
[00:15:14] – How much of their success can be attributed to being propped up by leverage
[00:17:18] – The strategy they’re operating with today and the businesses within GE
[00:24:05] – Drivers in the decision to split up their business and end the conglomerate era
[00:25:34] – Would they have made disposals if they were operating from a strong position
[00:27:15] – What their capital allocation and free cash flow will look like going forward
[00:29:38] – GE’s centralized thought process of the past and their management style now
[00:31:14] – Exxon Mobil: An Aging Energy Empire
[00:32:23] – Driving factors behind their decision to transition towards green energy
[00:34:36] – How the margin profile plays out and competitive dynamics of renewables
[00:35:16] – Thoughts about conglomerates and what will work in the future
[00:37:07] – What could lead to GE’s success in the future over the coming years
[00:39:43] – Main takeaways from his analysis of GE
[00:43:52] – Clip from Founders about GE’s founder, Thomas Edison

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