Invisible Companies
This article explores the business strategy of Steve Ross, who built the media conglomerate Time Warner by first acquiring mundane service companies. It examines how he leveraged these everyday businesses to eventually purchase major media assets like Warner Bros.
Why it matters
It provides a historical perspective on business growth strategies and the 'invisible' foundations of massive corporate empires.
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S teve Ross was a legend . Starting with nothing but a job at his father-in-law’s funeral parlor, he built Time Warner into one of the world’s largest companies, making a mark on every part of the media landscape. MTV and Nickelodeon were born under his roof. He bought and ran Atari. He helped found the New York Cosmos and, with it, professional soccer in America. When Ross died in 1992, Clint Eastwood dedicated his Best Picture Oscar for Unforgiven to him; two years later, Steven Spielberg did the same with Schindler’s List .
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