Revealed: Here are the most hated companies in the US

In recent years, a number of prominent companies catering to the needs of American consumers have been subject to severe criticism due to a decline in the quality of their customer service. Many dissatisfied customers have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the services provided by these firms, leading to a significant backlash. Many complained about the business organizations’ inferior management and controversial marketing techniques. 

The increasing use of automation, coupled with a tight labor market and worker shortages, has led to a rise in consumer dissatisfaction. Economic experts believe that businesses facing public criticism suffer damage to their reputation that may take several years to recover from. CEOWORLD Magazine recently published an article featuring the most criticized companies in the United States in 2023. These businesses are well-known and have received significant media attention. The researchers of CEOWORLD Magazine used information from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) to discuss the largest and most recent corporate scandals in the United States that have resulted in public outrage.

Here are the companies that have received massive public criticism from US consumers this 2023:

• Anheuser-Busch InBev
  Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s biggest beer company. This Leuven, Belgium-headquartered business organization has a yearly revenue of US$59.58 billion. Anheuser-Busch InBev received backlash for collaborating with Dylan Mulvaney. This transgender influencer was featured in the beer firm’s advertisement. Conservative critics censured the social values conveyed by Anheuser-Busch InBev’s partnership with Mulvaney.  Furthermore, the beer company received criticisms from leftists for trying to use the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Others or LGBTQ+ identity in propelling the firm’s revenue surge. This event happened after the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Michel Doukeris, released his statement amid public outrage. Because of this controversial happening, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Bud Light is not the best-selling beer brand in America anymore, for the first time in decades. This label’s boycott earlier this 2023 led to a 10.5 percent, year-over-year reduction in US revenue in the second quarter.
• Credit Suisse
  Earlier this 2023, Credit Suisse collapsed after numerous scandals. This Zurich, Switzerland-based financial institution faced various accusations, including corporate espionage, money laundering, and fraud. Credit Suisse, which has a yearly revenue worth US$15.2 billion, also grappled with massive losses on loans. The Swiss government then intervened, arranging former competitor investment bank UBS’s acquisition of the problematic financial company to prevent a financial crisis. This buyout happened after 167 years of Credit Suisse’s independence.
• Disney
  Since 2022, Disney’s market value as an entertainment label has dropped by 22 percent, per consulting company Kantar. Moreover, its streaming service, Disney+, has become among the most abhorred streaming platforms in the market, based on the ACSI. Disney’s share cost has decreased by more than 56 percent since March 2021. These adverse events that have happened to the Burbank, California-headquartered company are due to the ongoing culture wars and political discourse in the United States.  Disney’s yearly revenue of US$82.7 billion was slashed when it expressed its disfavor over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. In schools across the US state, the rule prohibits conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. Presidential aspirant and Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis felt outraged with Disney’s stance. He attempted to revoke the independence of one of Florida’s biggest taxpayers in running its theme parks. Disney also found itself upsetting segments of its consumers as it became involved in the ongoing US culture battles.
• Ford Motor Company
  The Ford Motor Company’s sales in the US market have nosedived yearly since 2016. This year, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker is facing more quality control problems than any other car company.  In 2022, the Ford label confirmed a sector-leading 67 recalls.  The car brand has also retained the top position this year with 38 recalls.  20 recalled vehicles burned last year and nearby structures in three incidences also caught fire. Dissatisfied US consumers have criticized Ford’s design and production problems that they believe could result in serious hazards.  The American automaker, which has a yearly revenue of US$158.1 billion, has received condemnation for an issue with its vehicles that can result in almost 3 million affected cars changing into an unintended gear and going to an unexpected path. Customers also complained about an engine oil discharge that may affect as plenty as 350,000 Ford Broncos and Escapes. Finally, a broken driveshaft problem impacting nearly a quarter million F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks has led to the increase in Ford customer disappointment.
• Fox Corporation
  Fox Corporation is a New York City-based media company that owns Fox News. It has long been the subject of many US viewers’ disapproval because of its media channel’s conservative-leaning political reporting and news coverage. Earlier this year, Fox Corporation, which has a yearly revenue of US$14.9 billion, underwent a shuffle which led to more public criticism. Tucker Carlson was fired from the network, which was said to be a mutual accord between this Fox News primetime show host and the media company. A legal case between voting equipment firm Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News disclosed before Carlson’s departure that the political talk show host’s personal opinions were tremendously inconsistent with the perspectives he said to his viewers on-air. Carlson had frequently backed former US President Donald Trump’s assertions that the 2020 presidential election was pilfered. Nevertheless, text messages found in the legal case disclosed statements from Carlson describing the former leader as satanic.

  Moreover, the political commentator reportedly claimed that Trump’s fallacious election statements were mind-blowingly insane and total “BS.” Carlson even remarked that his team is quite near to ignoring the former president most evenings and that he could not wait anymore. The former long-time host of Fox News’ highest-rated primetime program reportedly cited that he detests Trump ardently, based on a Washington Post report. Audiences during Carlson’s slot plummeted from an average of 3.3 million an evening to 1.5 million after he left Fox Corporation.

• Frontier Airlines
  Based on the information from the US Department of Transportation, merely 56.6 percent of Frontier Airlines’ flights came on time during December 2022’s busy Christmas season. This industry-low figure has resulted in negative perceptions of the Denver, Colorado-based low-cost air travel firm. Frontier Airlines has a yearly revenue of US$3.3 billion. Nevertheless, this number is anticipated to decrease. Frontier Airlines has some of the lowest consumer satisfaction rates in the air travel sector. Based on the ACSI, the firm has a consumer satisfaction mark of merely 67 out of 100. This figure is compared to the sector benchmark score of 76 out of 100.
• FTX
  FTX is a cryptocurrency exchange headquartered in Nassau, The Bahamas. US consumers’ outrage over this company, which has a yearly revenue of US$1 billion, has become more resounding in recent months. FTX was one of the biggest firms in the cryptocurrency sector. Nonetheless, its stellar reputation went on a 360-degree shift in late 2022 when it became among the largest scam cases of all time. A liquidity problem happened last year caused by the decreasing virtual currency prices. Additionally, US$2 billion worth of client funds had been privately transferred to a firm that Bankman-Fried’s former girlfriend Caroline Ellison managed.

  Declarations of theft resulted in FTX’s CEO resigning from his position, his capture, and the cryptocurrency exchange filing for bankruptcy. Bankman-Fried was bailed out by a record-high US$250-million bond, but he faced numerous charges. They consist of conniving to commit bribery and scamming banks and clients. In November 2023, Bankman-Fried was convicted by a New York federal jury of all seven charges he faced. His sentencing is scheduled for March 2024.

• Hawaiian Electric Industries
  Hawaiian Electric Industries is the main power provider in Hawaii. This Honolulu-based firm with a yearly revenue of US$3.7 billion is faced with numerous legal complaints this 2023. This development happened after Maui experienced the most fatal wildfire in contemporary US history. In this tragedy on the Hawaiian island, about 114 residents passed away in the blaze. Additionally, 1,000 more individuals are considered missing. The main cause of the wildfire is yet to be known, but Hawaiian Electric Industries is already slapped with many legal troubles.

  The lawsuits allege that Hawaii’s largest electricity supplier did not perform the de-energizing of the power lines, despite the high wind cautions. The complainants also believe that the malfunctioning power lines might have caused the catastrophe. The emerging legal cases filed against Hawaiian Electric Industries may lead to the firm proclaiming bankruptcy.

• Johnson & Johnson
  Johnson & Johnson is a well-known pharmaceutical and medical device maker behind popular consumer brands Tylenol, Band-Aid, Neutrogena, and Listerine. This widely-known household brand based in New Brunswick, New Jersey has a yearly revenue of US$94.9 billion. Johnson & Johnson made and gained profits from generic opioid medicines, although it proclaimed its intent to depart from the opioid drug industry in 2020. It is one of the firms facing billions of US dollars in damages for its part in the current opioid epidemic in the United States.

  Johnson & Johnson is among the biggest business organizations contributing to a US$26-billion agreement. This settlement is the outcome of more than 3,000 legal cases from various US states, local governments, and counties. Beginning in 2022, Johnson & Johnson will pay US$5 billion over a nine-year time frame.

• 3M
  3M is a multinational conglomerate based in St. Paul, Minnesota operating in various fields, including consumer goods, worker safety, industry, and healthcare. It has a yearly revenue of US$34.2 billion.  In the United States, 3M is facing criticism because of the extensive pollution of public water supplies. This widespread contamination originated from 3M’s employment of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, more popularly known as “forever chemicals.”

  Earlier this 2023, 3M agreed to a US$10.3-billion settlement to resolve the problem. Nevertheless, the company did not take responsibility, which further resulted in considerable public backlash. High levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances have been proven to be possibly carcinogenic and may be associated with several health problems. 3M utilizes these chemicals in several of its offerings, including non-stick coatings and firefighting foam. In the future, critics believe this business organization could be responsible for tens of billions more in injuries.

• Meta Platforms
  Meta Platforms is recognized for operating popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. This Menlo Park, California-headquartered company has a yearly revenue of US$116.6 billion.  Meta Platforms have drawn public criticism in recent months. Earlier this 2023, the firm was fined US$1.3 billion after violating the European Union’s privacy rules. This incident happened atop a US$725-million class-action legal case settlement in December 2022.

  The lawsuit was filed against Meta Platforms, which improperly shared user information with data analytics company Cambridge Analytica.  The Trump campaign employed this firm in its 2016 presidential campaign for the White House. Furthermore, Meta Platforms garnered people’s backlash after retrenching 10,600 employees in 2023’s first half. Mark Zuckerberg’s company performed this step following the company’s declaration of US$23.2 billion in profits the previous year. The latest Meta Platforms layoffs were in addition to the 11,000 employees dismissed in November 2022. These laid-off workers were a component of a cost-cutting agenda in what Zuckerberg has dubbed Meta Platforms’ efficiency year.

• Netflix
  Netflix has faced US consumers’ outrage in recent months. Earlier in 2022, this Los Gatos, California-based streaming company, which has more than 232 million subscribers, declared a price hike for its standard subscription plan in Canada and the United States.  This measure resulted in Netflix reporting a net loss in customers for the first-ever instance in ten years that same quarter. Additionally, later in 2022, the world’s most popular streaming service provider prohibited password-sharing.

  This measure does not allow users to share their accounts and requires them to pay extra for sharing passwords with people outside their homes. These steps taken by Netflix have been responsible for the company’s yearly revenue of US$31.6 billion getting slashed.

• OpenAI
  OpenAI is a technology company in San Francisco, California. This firm, which has a yearly revenue of about US$200 million, is behind ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence or AI offering that has been the company’s poster child for the technology’s effect since its introduction in late 2022. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is considered a breakthrough. After all, AI technology can help many different industries. Nevertheless, US consumers have criticized OpenAI, believing that its product can displace millions of workers.

  AI has received public criticism for its capability to cause harm. Critics believe this technology can become uncontrollable. Moreover, AI can disseminate erroneous details, deepfakes, and cause privacy problems. Challenger, Gray and Christmas Incorporated is an international business, outplacement, and executive coaching group. It pointed out that, in May 2023 alone, AI has displaced almost 4,000 jobs in the United States. Investment bank Goldman Sachs’s report also indicated that AI could lead to a decrease in 300 million full-time jobs worldwide.

• Optimum
  Optimum is the fourth biggest cable service provider in the United States. This Long Island City, New York-headquartered telecommunications brand has a yearly revenue of US$9.6 billion. Optimum is the lowest-rated business organization in the subscription TV service industry this 2023. It has a client satisfaction index mark of merely 60 out of 100. This figure is well below the sector standard of 69 out of 100.

  Furthermore, Optimum has an average client review mark of merely 1.05 out of 5. With a Better Business Bureau rating and accreditation grade of “F,” Optimum’s customers reported their dissatisfaction with the company. They complained about receiving billing statements after service discontinuation. Optimum clients also felt disappointed with the company’s technicians who did not arrive for scheduled appointments and the equipment failures.

• Pacific Gas and Electric Company
  In the United States, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, or PG & E, is the biggest utility firm. This Oakland, California-based company has a yearly revenue of US$21.7 billion. The Pacific Gas and Electric Company has faced legal action and massive public outrage because of the wildfires that its old power lines in Northern California ignited. The company recently concurred in paying more than US$55 million.

  The Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s settlement was to prevent criminal prosecution for the 2020 Dixie Fire and 2019 Kincade Fire in California. The 2020 Shasta County wildfire led to four deaths, and as a result, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company has faced criminal charges and prolonged backlash for its role in the catastrophe. Being one of the most-hated firms of US consumers, the company was discovered to be liable for more than 30 wildfires between 2017 and early 2022. When these calamities are combined, they wrecked over 23,000 commercial and residential buildings. They also led to more than 100 deaths.  The Pacific Gas and Electric Company is on its second year of an oversight agenda lasting for five years to prevent devastations in the future. As the lowest-rated utilities and energy provider, this firm’s mark is just 63 out of 100 from the ACSI.

• PGA Tour
  The PGA Tour is the organizer of professional golf tournaments in North America and the United States. This Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida-based company has a yearly revenue of US$1.6 billion. Earlier this 2023, the PGA Tour received public backlash for merging with LIV Golf, a Saudi Arabia-supported business organization and its former competitor. The non-profit group’s deal with its Middle Eastern former rival will establish a new golf entity. As a result, the PGA Tour faced public criticism over perceptions that its priority was financial gain and not human rights. Furthermore, there were allegations that Saudi Arabia is utilizing sports to conceal its government’s record of human rights abuses.

  Professional golfers censured the PGA Tour as they felt caught off guard because of the dearth of openness. The public outcry also viewed the Florida-based firm’s deal with LIV Golf as being insensible of the recent murders of asylum seekers and migrants, and the Saudi Arabian nationals’ participation in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  People criticized the PGA Tour-LIV Golf agreement which they related to Jamal Khashoggi’s killing. This murdered journalist outrightly lambasted the Saudi Arabian leadership.

• Silicon Valley Bank
  Silicon Valley Bank is a Santa Clara, California-headquartered financial institution. It has a yearly revenue worth US$7.4 billion. Silicon Valley Bank reported to its investors in March 2023 that it had to accumulate US$2.25 billion to enhance its balance sheet. The banking institution had much of its assets linked in Treasury bonds that had lost their value during the Federal Reserve System’s series of interest rate increases. Silicon Valley Bank’s official proclamation resulted in a bank run. Two days later, terrified customers withdrew a combined US$42 billion from the bank.

  Financial regulators eventually shut down Silicon Valley Bank. They seized its assets, which led to the second-largest bank failure in US history. Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse had a considerable effect on California’s technology sector. After all, plenty of startups in the region depended on the closed banking firm for its financial solutions. Additionally, Silicon Valley Bank’s breakdown had international implications. It affected global technology companies that used the bank’s services. Consumer faith in American financial companies was also undermined.

• Snapchat
  Snapchat is a social media company based in Santa Monica, California. It has a yearly revenue of US$4.6 billion. In 2022, Snapchat faced many problems. Class-action lawsuits materialized, which alleged that Snapchat violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. This legal trouble for the social media firm led to a US$35-million agreement.

  Furthermore, US consumers have censured Snapchat as it has been instrumental in drug dealing and sexual exploitation of teenagers. In North America, more than 90 percent of the social media application’s 100 million daily users are ages 13 and 24. Snapchat’s dilemmas can be seen in the company’s financial issues. It reduced 20 percent of its employees. Snapchat also gravely missed its third-quarter earnings goal and there has been a drop in its stock price.

• Southwest Airlines
  Southwest Airlines has faced considerable public condemnation in the United States. During the 2022 busy holiday travel season, this Dallas, Texas-headquartered company canceled more than 16,700 flights, which resulted in thousands of travelers getting stranded. Southwest Airlines, which has a yearly revenue of US$23.8 billion, had problems largely linked to impractical flight schedules and obsolete software systems. When the US Department of Transportation probed the incident, it suggested that the airline company’s actions could be deemed unjust and misleading. Moreover, Southwest Airlines’ inferior communication during the crisis further inconvenienced the workers and passengers. The event led to the airline firm losing hundreds of millions of dollars in 2022’s fourth quarter and 2023’s first quarter.
• Spirit Airlines
  Spirit Airlines is a budget air travel firm headquartered in Miramar, Florida. It has a yearly revenue worth US$5.1 billion. US consumers have given Spirit Airlines a satisfaction mark of merely 64 out of 100, per the ACSI.  This makes the company have the lowest score of all the airline firms polled. Spirit Airlines’ customer satisfaction score is also well below the sector’s average mark of 76 out of 100. Unhappy clients complained about the airline’s charges for basic amenities, the inferior cabin service, and the inconvenient seats.
• Target
  Target is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company that has received backlash from massive segments of the US population this 2023. This event was partly propelled by far-right misinformation and social media accounts. Target, which has a yearly revenue of US$109.1 billion, expressed its stance on LGBTQ+ issues. In June 2023, the retail giant offered Pride Month merchandise and displays. However, the company removed some of its offerings from its shelves to safeguard its employees’ security amid the anti-LGBTQ+ public outcry. Target’s first-quarter sales dropped in six years. This negative business result is due to the right-wing outrage over the social values that the retailer advocated.
• Trump Organization
  The Trump Organization is a company owned by former US President Donald Trump. It is headquartered in New York City. In 2020, the Trump Organization’s yearly revenue was in the neighborhood of US$450 million. Many Americans widely criticized the company, with its owner being the least popular leader in contemporary US history and the most controversial. The Trump Organization, which is a group of more than 500 entities and enterprises, found two of its businesses culpable of tax fraud that went back many years ago. In early 2023, these firms were fined US$1.61 million. The conviction also led to the imprisonment of the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer. Allen Weisselberg received a five-month jail sentence.
• TikTok
  TikTok is a very famous social media platform. This company is based in Singapore and Los Angeles, California, and has a yearly revenue of US$9.4 billion. ByteDance is a Chinese technology giant that owns TikTok. In the United States, the short-form video hosting service provider has faced considerable condemnation due to data privacy and national security concerns. TikTok’s critics include US government officials who feel anxious, alleging that the Chinese government could compel the social media company or its owner to submit user data. They also worry that the two entities could manipulate platform content.

  Furthermore, TikTok’s recent hearing in the US Congress shed light on the dilemmas that the platform can inflict on the public. Among these issues are addictiveness to TikTok, possible adverse mental health effects on users, and child safety. These matters further led to public debate. The US Government’s concerns over Chinese spying operations resulted in TikTok being prohibited from gadgets issued to US federal government workers. More than half of all US states have issued the same prohibitions for government employees.

• X (formerly Twitter)
  X is a social media giant that used to be known as Twitter. This San Francisco, California-headquartered company has a yearly revenue worth US$4.4 billion. Elon Musk acquired Twitter and renamed it X in late 2022. Since then, the firm’s direction has been unstable. First of all, Musk eliminated the prohibitions on numerous accounts that had been moderated for abusive or violent statements, including neo-Nazis. The world’s richest person this 2023 according to Forbes also never set up a content moderation team as he had said he would do.

  Public outcry also happened when Musk modified X’s policy on “blue checks.” The latter is a feature used to indicate a user or public figure’s verified account on the social media platform. Musk received public criticism when he started charging US$8 monthly for users who desired a blue check.  This incident resulted in numerous cases of people using the new system to make erroneous claims and impersonate leading labels. In May 2023, Musk proclaimed a new X CEO following less than one year of himself at the helm.

CEOWORLD Magazine‘s list of the “Companies That Have Dissatisfied US Consumers” expresses that the firms serving American consumers have disappointed the public due to various factors. Among them are controversial marketing strategies, company manufacturing practices, and harmful services and products that led to fatalities and property damage. Companies that reacted to controversial political and social issues, such as the divisive culture wars and LGBTQ+ rights, have also upset massive segments of the US population. The public backlash has resulted in problems for the “Companies That Have Dissatisfied US Consumers,” among which is the reduction in client numbers and revenue. 

Business organizations serving the US market should rethink how they will navigate a rapidly changing consumer base. Additionally, they should be extra careful when expressing their viewpoints on the different, sensitive social and political issues impacting the United States and its people.  In this manner, their businesses will continue to thrive in the world’s largest economy and worldwide. These companies can also avoid the decline in their customer base and revenues and soiling their public image.

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