The company was founded in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) in Herzogenaurach, Germany by Rudolf Dassler, the brother of Adolf “Adi” Dassler, who founded competitor Adidas. The company now operates a virtualized corporate structure, using electronic communications to disperse the organization across the globe.
The company changed its name to PUMA Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler in 1948, and became a public company in 1986, listed on the Börse München and Frankfurt Stock Exchange.