Samsung was founded in 1938 as a trading company in Daegu, Korea, before becoming a global electronics maker.
Lee Byung-chul founded Samsung Sanghoe in Daegu on March 1, 1938. The early business traded groceries and other goods, and Samsung later expanded into industries including insurance, retail, shipbuilding, construction, and electronics.
Samsung Electronics was established in 1969 and became the best-known part of the broader Samsung Group. It produces smartphones, televisions, home appliances, memory chips, and other technologies. Samsung Electronics is a separately listed company from many other Samsung affiliates.
That corporate distinction matters in market-capitalization comparisons. A ranking may refer specifically to Samsung Electronics rather than the entire Samsung Group. It also helps explain why the company is sometimes discussed alongside Apple, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and other very large technology businesses.