Companies · Puzzle #21 · Tuesday, October 20
Companies: the board
Eight items, eight categories, one place each. Here is the board with every figure and where it comes from, and the best way to place them. Play today's Companies.
The categories
- Growth: 1 pt per 2.5% sales growth, last year
- Heritage: 1 pt per 15 years old
- Inventory: 1.5 pts per doubling over $100M, at year end
- Workforce: 1.5 pts per doubling over 2,500 staff, at year end
- Cash on hand: 1.5 pts per doubling over $200M, at year end
- Sales per employee: 2 pts per doubling over $60K a head, last year
- Assets: 1.5 pts per doubling over $3B, at year end
- Buybacks: 1 pt per doubling over $10M, last year
The best board
The best board is hidden while some of these items are still in play: they're on a board again within 14 days.
The lineup, figure by figure
Southern Company
Electric and gas utility
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Micron
Memory chips and storage drives
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
New York Times
Newspaper, plus Wordle and NYT Games
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
AT&T
Wireless carrier and fiber internet
On this board AT&T scored best in Assets (10.0): $420.2B in assets at the end of December 2025. Inventory was its weakest fit (0.0): no inventory at the end of December 2025.
- Growth
- sales up 2.7% in the year to December 2025 (1.1) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Heritage
- founded in 2005, 21 years ago (1.4) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Inventory
- no inventory at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Workforce
- 133,030 employees at the end of December 2025 (8.6) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Cash on hand
- $18.2B in cash at the end of December 2025 (9.8) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Sales per employee
- $945K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (8.0) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Assets
- $420.2B in assets at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
- Buybacks
- $4.5B of its own stock bought back in the year to December 2025 (8.8) Source: AT&T INC. 10-K, filed 2026-02-09
Wells Fargo
Bank with the stagecoach logo
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffett's conglomerate: GEICO, BNSF and more
Berkshire Hathaway's best fit on this board was Heritage, worth 10.0: founded in 1839, 187 years ago. Its weakest was Growth, worth 0.0: sales up 0.0% in the year to December 2025.
- Growth
- sales up 0.0% in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Heritage
- founded in 1839, 187 years ago (10.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Inventory
- $24.4B of inventory at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Workforce
- 387,800 employees at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Cash on hand
- $52.6B in cash at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Sales per employee
- $958K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (8.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Assets
- $1.2T in assets at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC 10-K, filed 2026-03-02
Intel
Processors for PCs and servers
Intel's best fit on this board was Inventory, worth 10.0: $11.6B of inventory at the end of December 2025. Its weakest was Growth, worth 0.0: sales down 0.5% in the year to December 2025.
- Growth
- sales down 0.5% in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Heritage
- founded in 1968, 58 years ago (3.9) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Inventory
- $11.6B of inventory at the end of December 2025 (10.0) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Workforce
- 85,100 employees at the end of December 2025 (7.6) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Cash on hand
- $14.3B in cash at the end of December 2025 (9.2) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Sales per employee
- $621K in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (6.7) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Assets
- $211.4B in assets at the end of December 2025 (9.2) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: INTEL CORP 10-K, filed 2026-01-23
Paramount Skydance
CBS, Paramount films and Paramount+
On this board Paramount Skydance scored best in Sales per employee (9.5): $1.64M in sales per employee in the year to December 2025. Growth was its weakest fit (0.0): sales down 1.1% in the year to December 2025.
- Growth
- sales down 1.1% in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Heritage
- founded in 1912, 114 years ago (7.6) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Inventory
- no inventory at the end of December 2025 (0.0) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Workforce
- 17,600 employees at the end of December 2025 (4.2) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Cash on hand
- $3.3B in cash at the end of December 2025 (6.0) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Sales per employee
- $1.64M in sales per employee in the year to December 2025 (9.5) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Assets
- $43.3B in assets at the end of December 2025 (5.8) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25
- Buybacks
- no buybacks in the year to December 2025 (0.0) Source: Paramount Skydance Corp 10-K, filed 2026-02-25