Oldest company in the world operated for over 1,400 years

Japanese construction company Kongo Gumi is considered the world's oldest surviving business, operating for over 1,400 years before it was absorbed as a subsidiary of another larger construction company in 2006. Founded in 578 AD, Kongo Gumi was a builder of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and castles. The business was run by 40 generations of the Kongo family.