Abstract. The  article  is  devoted  to  a  new  subject  for  Russian  research: comparing the performance of enterprises which trace their history back to the Soviet  period  with  companies  that  were  established  after  the  beginning  of market reforms. The comparison is made on a wide range of indicators –input and  output  prices,  output,  employment,  wages,  stocks  of  finished  goods, order-book  level,  profitability,  financial  position,  relations  with  banks –and covers the period from 2006 to the first half of 2019. Special attention is paid to the level of comprehension and approval of economic policy by companies of the two groups.