Ericsson (Telefonaktiebolaget L. M. Ericsson) is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1876 by Lars Magnus Ericsson; as of 2016 it is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The company employs around 100,000 people and operates in around 180 countries. Ericsson holds over 42,000 granted patents as of December 2016, including many in wireless communications.[