Weyland Yutani Corp
Weyland-Yutani Corporation, often shortened to Weyland-Yutani, was a large British-Japanese multinational conglomerate. It was founded in 2099 by the merger of Weyland Corp and Yutani Corporation. Weyland-Yutani was primarily a technology supplier, manufacturing synthetics, starships and computers for a wide range of industrial and commercial clients, making them a household name. The company also had numerous non-manufacturing interests; it possessed extensive assets in interplanetary shipping and transport, and operated human colonies outside the solar system through the Extrasolar Colonization Administration. Weyland-Yutani is consistently portrayed as exhibiting the worst aspects of corporate profiteering, willing to sacrifice decency and life in the endless pursuit of profits. As such, it is a modern example of the longstanding trope of the evil mega-corporation in science fiction. In various portrayals within the Alien universe, the corporation has its hands in all aspects of space colonization and research.
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By 2179, Weyland-Yutani was heavily involved in the colonization of extrasolar planets, including the terraforming of suitable bodies with inhospitable atmospheres through the construction of Atmosphere Processors. Over its history, the corporation constructed and administrated numerous colonies across the galaxy, including Hadley’s Hope on LV-426 and Freya’s Prospect on BG-386. Weyland-Yutani was also involved in non-civilian colonies, notably overseeing the Class C Work Correctional Unit and the associated industrial penal lead foundry on Fiorina “Fury” 161.
For 100s of years, scientists at Weyland-Yutani Corp. have been monitoring the behaviour of an alien life-form whose potential for military application appears limitless. Though all attempts to harness its abilities have ended in bloodshed, acquisition of the Xenomorph remains a priority.
They also tend to use human-looking androids to spy on their human employees. The representation of the company’s willingness to endanger their own employees and the colonists for whom those employees sometimes provide support services gradually evolves through the Alien series, until it becomes clear that the company is willing to endanger the earth itself in its greedy grab for profits.
Ripley’s shuttle has been meandering through space for 57 years. The company—finally identified by name as Weyland-Yutani Corp.— sends smarmy Carter Burke to help Ripley adjust to her new life. “I work for the company, but don’t let that fool you,” Burke says. “I’m really an okay guy.” That’s the first of Burke’s many lies. Although less perfectly symbolic of the company’s inhumanity than the robot Ash, Burke remains an enlightening personification of Weyland-Yutani Corp. and its attitudes. He is a brown-nosing, backstabbing sycophant who will stop at nothing to further his own career.
From the start, even the lowliest of Weyland-Yutani’s employees were aware of the corrupt nature of the conglomerate. It was common knowledge amongst the company’s commercial haulage fleet that senior management routinely bribed and paid off inspectors rather than submit to thorough safety inspections and reviews of their vessels.
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