The company traces its beginnings to Thomas A. Edison, who established Edison Electric Light Company in 1878. In 1892, a merger of Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company created General Electric Company. GE is the only company listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also included in the original index in 1896.

Total revenue of GE reached $183 billion in 2008.

GE is having five businesses including two infrastructure segments: GE Technology Infrastructure, GE Energy Infrastructure, GE Capital, NBC Universal and GE Consumer & Industrial.

GE in China

GE started doing business in China as early as 1906 and was considered one of the most active foreign companies in the country at the time. In 1908, the first GE light plant was built in Shenyang. GE acquired Anderson, Meyer & Co. in 1934 and started to provide installation and repair services of imported electric equipment in China. GE resumed trade with People's Republic of China in 1979. It opened GE Hangwei Medical Systems Co., Ltd in Beijing, which is its first joint venture in China in 1991.

All of GE's industrial businesses have set up operations and established over 50 legal entities in China with more than 12,000 employees. Its financial services sector is also seeking business opportunities as WTO opened China market.

The sales revenue of GE in China is $4.64 billion in 2008.

Besides business commitments, GE continues to act as a responsible corporate citizen in China. In 2008 alone, over 3,200 GE Volunteers in Greater China had led over 190 community projects, contributing over 22,000 volunteer hours, servicing communities in 18 different locations across Greater China (Beijing, Changzhou, Chongqing, Deyang, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mianzhu, Nanjing, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Wuxi), focusing on education, healthcare, elderly care, environment, and human services.