Buzz
If you need a way to justify supporting a company with a questionable past, simply dismissing any negative reports as a 'conspiracy theory' might do the trick. The term itself, which is rumored to have been coined by the CIA, conveniently allows you to sidestep legitimate concerns by associating them with wild accusations and fraudsters.
It’s widely acknowledged that some companies engage in questionable dealings from time to time—which makes these conspiracy theories even harder to dismiss. Whether it's a far-fetched story or a truth you can't ignore, these conspiracies are impossible to escape. Below are 10 influential companies entangled in conspiracy theories.
10. Bayer
Bayer is famous for creating aspirin. Established in 1863 by Friedrich Bayer, it began as a small dye business with only three employees. Over time, it evolved into a pharmaceutical powerhouse, selling products like aspirin, phenobarbital, and even heroin—marketed back then as a 'non-addictive cough suppressant' for children. After WWI, Bayer temporarily merged with other companies to form IG Farben, a firm that notoriously produced Zyklon B for the Nazis. They were a major contractor for the Third Reich during WWII and even ran their own concentration camps.
Today's Bayer is a major player in research and development, consistently introducing new products. However, not everyone is willing to forget its past ties to Nazi Germany. A significant amount of skepticism surrounds their current offerings. In 2016, Bayer merged with Monsanto, cementing its role in global pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Their reputation didn’t improve much after revelations that in the 1980s, Bayer knowingly infected thousands of its customers with HIV.
9. NutraSweet
NutraSweet is a subsidiary of GD Searle, created specifically to rebrand the controversial sweetener Aspartame. Discovered by GD Searle in 1965, NutraSweet is 200 times sweeter than sugar and virtually calorie-free. Unfortunately, its approval process was far from transparent.
Initially, the FDA banned Aspartame after a 1980 inquiry found that it was likely to induce brain tumors. This didn’t sit well with Donald Rumsfeld, who was both Secretary of Defense under Reagan and Chairman of GD Searle at the time. Rumsfeld vowed to 'call in his markers' to reverse the ban. With the support of the newly appointed FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hayes Hull Jr., another Reagan appointee, the ban was swiftly overturned. Hull later worked in public relations for both GD Searle and Monsanto, which acquired GD Searle in 1985.
Significant political influence was used to ensure NutraSweet was approved for use in the US food supply, despite reports of severe health risks. Today, Aspartame is found in nearly every piece of gum, diet soda, or children's vitamin sold in the US, and it’s even added to some milk brands.
8. DeBeers
If you've ever proposed with a diamond, you can thank DeBeers for turning it into the ultimate symbol of love. Founded by businessman Cecil Rhodes in 1880, DeBeers built a billion-dollar diamond empire with a controversial past. They're the ones behind the iconic marketing campaign that convinced people to spend a fortune on diamond engagement rings. DeBeers also manipulated their diamond supply to artificially drive up prices. But, wait—aren't diamonds really that valuable? The answer is no.
"Diamonds are intrinsically worthless." -DeBeers Chairman Nicky Oppenheimer.
It’s widely known that DeBeers has been involved in diamond price-fixing, and they even pled guilty to this in 2004. While today the company is more focused on branding and retail stores, their dark past in South Africa, their price-fixing schemes, shady advertising, and ties to the Oppenheimer family continue to raise doubts about the real value of diamonds. Is that diamond ring really worth two months' salary?
7. Dominion
Americans take their elections very seriously, and once they're over, there's a desire for everyone to reach a consensus and move on. Naturally, when that doesn’t happen, it ruffles some feathers, and people will come up with all sorts of theories to explain why the results are wrong. A prime example: Dominion Voting Systems.
Dominion Voting Systems is a company providing election services, with their machines used in many states, including most swing states. The company has faced accusations of wrongdoing since the 2020 election. Theories suggest that China secretly owns Dominion, that their machines can alter votes, and there were even senators raising concerns about integrity back in 2019. Dominion has been quick to defend itself, filing defamation lawsuits against these conspiracy claims.
6. Volkswagen
While most companies on this list were founded by hard-working entrepreneurs before their controversies began, Volkswagen has a much darker origin. It was directly established by the Nazi Party on May 28, 1937. Originally named Volkswagenwerk, meaning 'The People’s Car Company,' Hitler aimed to create a German competitor to Henry Ford's Model T — an affordable car that could be mass-produced to showcase the power of Nazi Germany.
With the help of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the iconic VW Beetle was created. After the war, Volkswagen rebranded the car as the Beetle and went on to become one of the top-selling car importers to the United States.
Since then, Volkswagen has maintained a fairly positive reputation, even being seen as a leader in green technology. That is, until September 2015, when the company was caught selling nearly 600,000 cars designed to cheat emissions tests. In response to the scandal, Volkswagen’s Head of US Operations, Michael Horn, blamed the fraudulent cars on 'a couple of software engineers.' While the full extent of the fraud is unclear, it’s alleged that Volkswagen’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn, not only knew about the deception but personally authorized the cover-up.
5. Nestle
When I think of Nestle, I usually picture chocolate, not bottled water. But water sales are actually a major part of their business, despite activists calling for them to stop. Aside from the environmental issues tied to plastic waste, Nestle lobbied the World Water Council to redefine clean water from a 'human right' to a 'human need.' Shortly after, they started buying up clean water supplies around the world and selling the water back at exorbitant prices. This has sparked speculation that Nestle is planning to privatize water.
Nestle was also a major player in the baby formula market, promoting it as a healthier alternative to breast milk. When sales slowed in the U.S., they began marketing formula to Africa in the 1970s, which coincided with a surge in infant deaths. The WHO and UNICEF traced the millions of fatalities to malnutrition and diarrhea caused by formula being mixed with contaminated water. Nestle responded by blaming the mothers of the deceased infants. Not exactly a good look for the company.
4. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is one of the most iconic brands in the world. Everyone knows soda isn’t exactly healthy (even after they removed the cocaine), but we still can’t seem to stop drinking it. The soft drink giant spends millions on brand awareness, charity, outreach, and PR. If you're like me, you've probably seen their vending machines in schools.
Much like the tobacco companies in the 1960s, many people believe that Coca-Cola, along with the rest of "Big Sugar," acts like the modern-day Marlboro. The theory suggests that they secretly fund nonprofits that promote the idea that exercise, rather than diet, is the key to fighting obesity.
The issue isn't just that soda consumption is contributing to the obesity crisis, but the deliberate efforts by Coca-Cola to conceal the facts. The company has a history of bribing health officials to stay silent and redirect blame toward dietary fat instead.
3. Monsanto
How could this list end any other way? Monsanto has earned perhaps the worst reputation of any company in history—and it seems well deserved. Founded in 1903 by John Francis Queeny and named after his wife, Olga Monsanto, the company began by producing the sweetener saccharin. They were the only company outside of Germany making it. But Monsanto quickly escalated its product line to much more toxic materials, including PCBs, DDT, and Agent Orange (a defoliant used in the Vietnam War that led to half a million babies being born with birth defects).
Lawsuits followed, and Monsanto expanded into the Bio Agriculture sector, discovering the pesticide Glyphosate, also known as Roundup, and creating genetically modified crops resistant to it. Initially, the EPA determined Glyphosate was carcinogenic after reports linked it to cancer. However, the EPA later reversed this claim, asserting it was not carcinogenic. Many believe Monsanto covered up the potential link.
In 2016, Bayer acquired Monsanto, which is now the world's largest seed supplier. Conspiracy theories suggest that Monsanto secretly controls the global food supply and seed banks. Then, there's the Bill Gates connection. Reports that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation bought 500,000 shares of Monsanto have fueled suspicions. After all, if you control the crops, do you control the world?
2. Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood provides essential health and family services to hundreds of thousands of Americans annually. While these services include abortions, they are legal and considered a normal part of healthcare by most. So, what's the conspiracy? The key issue lies in the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, who was an outspoken advocate for eugenics.
The conspiracy revolves around the lengths Sanger's supporters went to in order to hide her own eugenicist views. However, as her writings and speeches, including her keynote speech to the Ku Klux Klan, became widely known, Planned Parenthood was forced to distance itself from its founder.
They removed her name from their buildings and publicly acknowledged their "contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color" as well as Ms. Sanger’s well-documented "racist legacy." If only that was the end of it. Unfortunately, allegations of profit-driven abortion schemes have cast Planned Parenthood in an even darker light. The history of whistleblowers jailed over their claims only adds to the suspicion.
1. Google
Google, the first to dominate and still the leader in the search engine market, is now a household name synonymous with looking up anything. Don't believe me? Just Google it! With Google, its video-sharing giant YouTube, and its parent company Alphabet (a name that must not be spoken!—like Voldemort or Fight Club), conspiracy theories abound.
Let’s be honest, when a company adopts a slogan like 'Don’t Be Evil' and then casually drops it, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow. Many conservatives and anti-establishment critics argue that Google, through its search optimization, is quietly suppressing viewpoints and speech it doesn't agree with. With whistleblowers stepping forward, suspicions about Google’s actions are growing.
Then there’s Project Dragonfly, the codename for Google’s search engine designed specifically for China. This tool was built to track users and censor any content the Chinese Communist Party deemed undesirable. Google wasn’t thrilled when internal memos were leaked exposing their activities. Though the company claims to have abandoned the project, skepticism remains. After all, how much can be believed from a company that profits by selling your data while denying it?
