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Key takeaways
- A mission statement says, in one or two sentences, why a company exists, who it serves and what it does for them.
- The mission describes the present. The vision describes the future the company wants, and the values describe how it behaves on the way.
- The best mission statements are short, specific and easy to repeat, like Google's mission to organize the world's information.
- A good mission guides decisions. If a project does not serve the mission, it is a reason to say no.
- All the mission statement examples on this page are quoted from each company's own website or SEC filings, with the date we read them.
What is a mission statement?
A mission statement is a short sentence that explains a company's purpose: who it serves, what it offers them and why it matters. It guides decisions and tells customers and staff what the business stands for. For example, Microsoft's mission is "to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more."
The definition works for any organization. A software company names its users, a hospital its patients and a law firm its clients.
Mission vs vision vs values
Most companies publish three related statements. Each one answers a different question.
| Statement | Question it answers | Time frame | Official example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission | Why do we exist and what do we do? | Today | Microsoft: "to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more" |
| Vision | Where do we want to be? | The future | Amazon: to be "Earth's most customer-centric company" |
| Values | How do we behave on the way? | Always | Nike's five Maxims, such as "Serve athletes" and "Do the right thing" |
How to write a mission statement, step by step
1. Name who you serve
Write down your main customers in plain words, such as small business owners or gamers. A mission that tries to serve everyone says nothing.
2. Say what you do for them
Describe the result you deliver, not the product list. Amazon does this when it says it wants to make "customers' lives better and easier every day."
3. Add how you do it
Name the method that makes you different, such as invention, price or service. Amazon's mission adds "by relentlessly inventing on their behalf."
4. Cut it to one or two sentences
Remove buzzwords and anything a rival could say word for word. If your team cannot repeat it from memory, it is too long.
5. Test it and use it
Ask staff and a few customers whether it sounds true. Then put it to work: in hiring, in your marketing strategy and in decisions about which projects to drop.
Common mistakes in a mission statement
- Writing a vision instead: "to be the best" describes a goal, not what you do every day.
- Stacking vague words like "innovative," "world-class" and "solutions" with no customer behind them.
- Making it so long that nobody remembers it.
- Writing it once and never checking it when the company changes direction.
Mission statement examples from top brands
These company mission statements are short enough to quote in full, from each company's own site or SEC filings.
| Company | Mission statement | Where we read it |
|---|---|---|
| "Our mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." | about.google, November 7, 2026; also in Alphabet's 10-K filed February 5, 2026 | |
| Microsoft | "Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more." | microsoft.com, November 7, 2026; also in its 10-K filed July 29, 2026 |
| Nike | "Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete." | Nike's Mission page and its 10-K filed July 15, 2026 |
| Amazon | "Amazon's mission is to make customers' lives better and easier every day by relentlessly inventing on their behalf." | About Amazon page, November 7, 2026 |
| Apple | No labeled mission. Its company description says its employees "are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it." | Apple earnings release, November 2, 2026 |
Our brand guides appear in the list below as we publish them, each with the mission, vision, values and wording history. Apple, Nike, Amazon, Starbucks and Tesla come first.
Mission statement FAQ
What is a mission statement?
A mission statement is one or two sentences that explain why a company exists, who it serves and what it does for them. It describes the business today, while a vision statement describes where the company wants to go.
How do you write a mission statement?
Name the people you serve, say what you do for them and add how you do it differently. Then cut the draft to one or two sentences, test it with staff and customers, and use it to make decisions.
What is a good example of a mission statement?
Google's is one of the best known: "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." It is short, names a clear job and works as a filter for new products.
What is the difference between a mission and a vision statement?
The mission is what you do now and for whom. The vision is the future you want to create. Amazon shows both: its mission is to make customers' lives better and easier, and its vision is to be Earth's most customer-centric company.
Sources
- Google, "Company info," accessed November 7, 2026 (about.google).
- Alphabet Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed February 5, 2026 (SEC EDGAR).
- Microsoft, "About Microsoft," accessed November 7, 2026 (microsoft.com).
- Microsoft Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, filed July 29, 2026 (SEC EDGAR).
- NIKE, Inc. "Mission," accessed November 2026 (about.nike.com), and Form 10-K for fiscal 2026, filed July 15, 2026 (SEC EDGAR).
- NIKE Code of Conduct, Inside the Lines, November 2025 (investors.nike.com).
- About Amazon, "About Us," accessed November 7, 2026 (aboutamazon.com).
- Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, filed February 6, 2026 (SEC EDGAR).
- Apple Inc. fourth quarter fiscal 2026 results, Form 8-K Exhibit 99.1, November 2, 2026 (SEC EDGAR).