It’s About the Bottom Line

Google Mountain View, Calif.Financial snapshot: Second-quarter revenue for the
Internet search engine giants stood at $5.4 billion,
up 39% from the second quarter of 2007.

Following in the
footsteps of Ford, IBM, and General Electric, Google has
become America’s employer of choice, the firm against
which every other boss and pay package is measured.
The company’s generous perks are much-discussed
in corporate America, as is its stock market performance.
For the record, the company’s market
capitalization—per-share stock price multiplied
by number of shares outstanding—was $148.8 billion as
of late August, with shares priced at $473. But
Google’s ultimate weapon as an employer is its
stability: Cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin—and
their progressive workplace policies—should steer the
company’s culture for many years to come.

Johnson & Johnson New Brunswick, N.J.Financial snapshot: In July, Johnson & Johnson
reported that second-quarter revenue was $16.5
billion, up 8.7% from the comparable quarter in 2007.

Health care and
pharmaceutical companies tend to be recession-proof
simply by virtue of the business they’re in. Among
the major pharma players, J&J has one of the
healthiest share prices (it’s been trading
between $61 and $71 in the past year), and it’s
headquartered in a state with substantial workplace
protections for gay people.

Chevron San Ramon, Calif.Financial snapshot: The oil giant reported $6 billion
in profits in the second quarter of 2008, up 11% from
the same period in 2007.

If working for a
company that mints money is one of your objectives, then
you should look no further than the industry that spawned
the catchphrase windfall profits. Chevron enjoys all
of the financial success of its peer group, yet stands
virtually alone in terms of its gay-friendly workplace
policies, in part because it is based in California, where
the laws are on LGBT employees’ side.

Microsoft Redmond, Wash.Financial snapshot: The software maker ended its
fiscal year in June, when it reported annual revenue
of $60.4 billion, an 18% increase over fiscal 2007.

With considerable
grace, Microsoft has made the transition from
disruptive innovator to member in good standing of the
corporate establishment. Over the past decade its LGBT
policies have been tested (remember that Ralph Reed
episode?) and have happily endured. A good sign that
the company’s pro-gay policies will persist well into
the post–Bill Gates era: A transgender
executive has blogged openly and without
sentimentality about her experiences in the office.