Rebels, Icons and Leaders COMMENTS Join the Discussion Here is our ranked list of the 25 people we judge to have had the most profound impact on business and finance since 1989, the year CNBC went live. They have disrupted industries, sparked change and exercised an influence far beyond their own companies. As CNBC embarks on its second quarter-century, it faces a world completely altered from when it started. Then, the Dow was below 2,400, Wal-Mart didn't make the list of America's 500 largest companies and there was no World Wide Web. Only four U.S. companies had annual revenue of more than $50 billion. Today there are more than 50, including upstarts such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google. No dictionary contained the words "e-commerce" or "app." A blog was still archaic slang for a servant boy. The 25 men and women listed belowfrom different parts of the world and across different industrieshave, for better or worse, been the rebels, icons and leaders in the vanguard of that change. Curious as to how we chose the 25? Tyler Mathisen explains the (difficult!) process. HOME U.S. NEWS MARKETS INVESTING TECH SMALL BUSINESS VIDEO SHOWS WATCH LIVE PRO REGISTER | SIGN IN 285 1 Steve Jobs Apple's iVisionary 2 Bill Gates Microsoft founder and philanthropist 3 Ben Bernanke & Alan Greenspan Former U.S. Fed chairs 4 Sergey Brin Larry Page & Eric Schmidt Google's internet and media disruptors 5 Jeff Bezos Amazon's retail revolutionary 6 Warren Buffett Legendary American investor 7 Oprah Winfrey Billionaire talk-show entrepreneur 8 Mark Zuckerberg Facebook founder 9 Jack Bogle Index mutual fund pioneer 10 Larry Ellison Oracle co-founder 11 Rupert Murdoch Global media mogul 12 Jack Welch 20-year chairman and CEO of GE 13 NR Narayana Murthy Infosys founder; "father of Indian IT" 14 Howard Schultz Starbucks CEO 15 Bernard Arnault Luxury baron of LVMH 16 Li Ka-shing Hong Kong tycoon; Asia's richest man 17 Carl Icahn American activist investor 18 Meg Whitman Hewlett-Packard and former eBay CEO Amancio Ortega Founder of Zara fashion stores 19 20 Michael Bloomberg Wall Street data pioneer and ex-NYC mayor 21 Sandy Weill Banker and Wall Street dealmaker 22 Cher Wang Founder of Taiwan smartphone maker HTC 23 Aliko Dangote Billionaire African entrepreneur 24 Martha Stewart Founder of home-making media empire 25 Carlos Slim Billionaire Mexican business magnate 285 Comments CNBC Login Sort by Newest Share Join the discussion Favorite Join the discussion Reply shankar narayan 10 minutes ago Twenty five years very people knew the words cell phone, internet or world wide web. Most applications like facebook, amazon, would not have happened without them. Yet, the people who made this happen are not disruptors: Qualcom founder Jacobs, Tim Berners- Lee, Netscape founders? Al this is made possible by the development of semiconductor technologies. Where is Intel I this?
Reply Alex 28 minutes ago Where is Andy Grove. We forget
Reply SteveG an hour ago Jeff Beezos at #5 , ahead of Warren Buffet and among Jobs/Gates/Zuckerberg/and the Google guys, is a JOKE. All he has proven so far is that if you sell stuff and really low prices you'll sell a lot of stuff. He was create no real weath (i.e.- profit)
Reply Gustave Lipman 2 hours ago Mark Haines should have made the list. He was everyone's favorite teacher. Business news could be fast, accurate , serious and fun.
1 Reply nocnurzfred 2 hours ago Was really hoping to see Elon Musk on the list. Pioneering solar energy, fully electric vehicles, private company space flight, and he ain't done. Want to send a manned mission to Mars before the end of this decade? Musk & the teams he would assemble would be the only logical choice.
1 JERRY COLBURN 15 hours ago Wheres Bob Taylor, who effectively gave Jobs the Mac and Gates Windows (the mouse-based graphical user interface) as well as all the rest of the core equipment of the computer revolution Ethernet, laser printers, etc.? Taylor worked for Xerox, which developed these breakthroughs to see if the much-rumored Share Share Share Share Share Reply paperless office would challenge its paper-based business model. Concluding no, Xerox told Taylor to give the work away. Taylor had earlier served as chief of the Defence Departments ARPA advanced R&D, where he approved and supervised development of the network that quickly evolved into the Internet.
Reply headly 18 hours ago how can cnbc put a convicted felon, especially one convicted of insider trading who shows no remorse, on the "list"?
1 Reply John H. Long 14 hours ago headly Who is that? You can't be referring to Martha Stewart, as she was never convicted of insider trading.
Reply jones 19 hours ago How about the dummies who undid Glass-Steagall!
Reply JeffreyHF 19 hours ago The omission of Irwin Jacobs and Andrew Viterbi, founders of Qualcomm, is shameful. Were it not for their disruptive RF engineering ideas, there would be no explosive markets for mobile data devices, and the untethered world would be a figment of the imagination of futurists.
1 Reply PrincessBarry 20 hours ago Oprah? This must be a joke.
5 strausdavis 20 hours ago PrincessBarry PrincessBerry! Oprah is not a joke, but perhaps you are. What contributions have you made and given to the world? Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply 3 Reply bartolomeo 17 hours ago strausdavis yeah! Oprah is right up there with Teresa of Calcutta. And she ran a marathon. next she will probably get a Nobel Peace prize.
Reply JERRY COLBURN 15 hours ago bartolomeo Why not a Nobel; her boy Obama did, while BP oil still spilled into the Gulf, without Obie's doing much about it, to maintain his golf, vacation, and fund-raising itinerary.
Reply Moneynthapower 18 hours ago strausdavis She's a token diversity pick. No way she'd be on the list if she were a white male.
1 Reply Rick Lepow 18 hours ago strausdavis Joke! Lucky poor woman who started a tv show should be recognized as having changed the world? Get off of my cloud clown.
Reply Ga@rsf 21 hours ago Two guys in the late eighties revolutionized the cell phone universe. They are responsible for CDMA, smart phones, systems on a chip, lowering the amount of power needed to run a complex phone, increasing greatly usable bandwidth, revolutionizing what will be the new Wi-Fi, and in sum, creating intellectual competition and creative destruction in a formerly conformist industry that would never have achieved it without them. Jacobs and Viterbi, were the founders of QUALCOMM Irwin Jacobs deserves recognition for creating an innovative technology that dwarfs at least 10 of cnbc's choices combined.
3 Reply Santhosh a day ago Jamie dimon, Lloyd blankfein, Laurence Fink, Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner ,Tata and Alan Mulally ?
3 Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply 3 Reply PrincessBarry 20 hours ago Santhosh Yeah, TurboTax Timmy was a glaring omission.
1 Reply Rick Lepow a day ago I vote for Shaq
1 Reply gil goldstein a day ago Rachel Maddow is more valuable to the people than some of your picks. Does that bother you?
Reply joeyd200166 20 hours ago gil goldstein C'mon Gil........Find someone who is known to more than 43 people........family members not included
3 Reply gil goldstein 20 hours ago joeyd200166 More like 2,200,165. WOW, you counted to 43.
Reply fredcarl a day ago You have several people right there at CNBC that should be on the list. Did they get any consideration?
Reply gil goldstein 20 hours ago fredcarl MSNBC has someone. Rachel Maddow.
1 Reply aksmilin a day ago where is Fred Smith - FedEx - if you bought it, he brought it - globally
Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply Reply Rick Lepow a day ago Shame on you CNBC! Martha Stewart is a convicted felon for INSIDER STOCK TRADING!!! I would put Latrell Sprewell on this list before Martha Stewpot. Really, she should have been stripped of all her assets, banned from buying a single stock for the remainder of her life and she is exactly the reason the American public thinks stock investing is a joke. So is CNBC. Shame on you.
7 Reply Michael Foster a day ago Bernie Madoff and Pablo Escobar belong on this list before Martha Stewart
2 Reply Possum336 a day ago This is an inane exercise. If CNBC does not understand that we, the viewer. we the citizen, and we the investor matter the most, each and everyone of at the center of our universe, then they don't deserve more viewers
Reply ledoy a day ago Ted Turner....got so rich selling his companies,TBS,CNN,TNT,TCM,etc. to Time Warner and AOL that he bought an entire state; Montana. Oprah Winfrey and Martha Steward? You have to be kidding.
3 Reply Soh Ah Lien a day ago Jack Ma of Alibaba ? This list is obviously flawed and very American-centric.
5 Reply toplcame 16 hours ago Soh Ah Lien well of course it is American Centric. It is a Tv show started in American, created by Americans, for Americans. Wow, that was tough one to figure out!
2 Barry steinberg 2 days ago Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply Andy grove of Intel. Genius
6 This comment was deleted. Reply Moishe Israel 2 days ago John Malone ???? You mean every one of them is Jewish? I'm Jewish and I know this is not true. The list is about success and power through business acumen, tech advancement, and opportunity in timing.
2 Reply Will Robin 2 days ago How about Robert Rubin - Wall Street shill - who convinced the Clinton Administration to accede to the greed grab of the "Big Money" banks & Wall Street shysters to deregulate "financial services" (see repeal Glass Steagall) causing the "Great Recession" and then convinced the Obama Administration to bail out the perpetrators of said recession and not the victims?
4 Reply Kevin 2 days ago Putin? He has been affecting many (good or bad - you judge) the longest ... seemingly. He could be in place of Meg Whitman.
2 Reply Sam 2 days ago I'm glad to see Martha on here. She did change the game when it came to American traditions. She made an enormous impact with keeping the American homemaking customs alive that we all cherish, but to also prove that in this great country, we have a system of freedom that works. She made a mistake, she did her time, paid her price to society, kept her focus and moved on. Great example of the use of freedom. "The decisions you make lead to the life you live." Good for you, Martha!
3 Cabin Springs 2 days ago Intel's chips were the heart of the majority of personal computer for the last twenty plus years. Time and again producing faster designs to do quicker and more functions. Think what it would have been like without such a leadership tool. Consider the founders, Share Share Share Share Share Reply Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove. You have a person on your list that is credited for destroying the Glass-Stegall act which set the market up the 2008 crash. He now admits it was a mistake which is to his credit.
6 Reply Manny 2 days ago Winner: Mark Zuckerberg. No question about it.
1 Reply Brian Pasch 2 days ago I don't understand Oprah in the context of CNBC. Is this a Teavanna chia advertorial?
4 Reply WHUT 2 days ago Sorry to see Oprah on the list, she hasn't done anything with her money to help Black Neighborhoods, and when asked to make a comment about racial issues she has only one answer, we ain't on the Plantation no more!!!
6 Reply WixosTrix 2 days ago WHUT Oprah has helped the black community in ways money never could. Historically, blacks are seen as, unintelligent and incapable. The massive success of Oprah, and many other black icons, throws those claims in the face of those who think such, thus putting such ideas to rest. Here's a video where Neil Degrasse Tyson describes his psychological battle he had with his passion of astrophysics and his "responsibility" to society, specifically the black community, as a intelligent black man. http://bit.ly/1u1RMGy
5 WHUT a day ago WixosTrix Is your many other Black icons Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, snoop dog, two of these three alone are pure Race Baiter's and snoop dog well he certainly is not a role model for anyone, he is nothing more than a dope head!!! My choice for Black Leaders are Dr Ben Carson, Lt Col Allen West, Allen Keys, Herman Cain, and there are many more!!! These people want to make America a better place for you and I, not just for a selected class. One of My Favorate Black leaders is Dr Martin Luther King, if he were alive today I promise you he would not like what is happening in America!!! Share Share Share Share Share Reply leaders is Dr Martin Luther King, if he were alive today I promise you he would not like what is happening in America!!! Also Justice Thomas, Many of these Black Leaders the Black community likes to label them as Uncle Tom's, because they take a stand against the very first icons I mention in this article. What do you call a Black Person who stands up and takes a stand against the norm!!!
Reply Rick Lepow 18 hours ago WHUT Colin Powell?
Reply WHUT 18 hours ago Rick Lepow Rick are you saying Colin Powell is a good Black icon? I did like and respect him until he showed that he was a RINO and voted for NOBAMA, there is one reason and one reason only that he voted for NOBAMA and that was because he was Black!!! He said it was because he was the best qualified but that has certainly be proven not to be the case!!! He is SOCIALIST and destroying America by living up to his campaign pledge "I WILL FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM AMERICA", translation I will redistribute the wealth, destroy the Constitution of the United States of America!!!
Reply WixosTrix 18 hours ago WHUT Uncle Ruckus? Is that you?
Reply WHUT 18 hours ago WixosTrix See, you people can't get over the fact that I had nothing to do with the slavery of your ancestors. Until you stop the blame game we will never get pass the race issue!!!
BernardProfitendieu 20 hours ago WHUT wow, you're really down with the lunatic fringe extreme right Black man! and you think that qualifies you for some kinda civil rights medal? guess again ... you're in some laughable bad company. Allen West?!? Herman Cain?!? Share Share Share Share Share Reply kinda civil rights medal? guess again ... you're in some laughable bad company. Allen West?!? Herman Cain?!? Ben Carson?!? Alan Keyes?!? (Note correct spelling) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The only thing these chumps have in common beside their extremist views is their lack of ability to hold onto elective office!!
3 Reply lrjoseph 31 minutes ago BernardProfitendieu Since none have held elective office, how dumb is that comment? Whut said it best. Today's whites are still being blamed for being slave owners. And to insult guys like Allen West or Ben Carson, really? You need to crawl back in your hole, stupid.
Reply WHUT 18 hours ago BernardProfitendieu Wow, I'm really surprised you even knew who these fine, intelligent Black Leaders are. You prove my point that you like to call Smart Black Men Uncle Toms, although you didn't actually say it I know what you meant!!!
Reply BernardProfitendieu 2 days ago WHUT ... and what have you personally done to help Black neighborhoods, sweetie? Always easier to spend someone elses money than your own, isn't it?
2 Reply WHUT 11 hours ago BernardProfitendieu You have me confused with a DEMOCRAT, I believe my money is my money and your money is your money!!!
WHUT a day ago BernardProfitendieu First of all I live smack dab in the middle of a predominately Black area. When I was employed I was instrumental in promoting many Blacks that were capable and just needed a chance, I made sure that became a reality. I'm also a Share Share Share Share Share Reply promoting many Blacks that were capable and just needed a chance, I made sure that became a reality. I'm also a member of our Neighborhood Watch, are you one, I'm not afraid to tell the POPO what I seen so that my neighbor will be a better place and ensure the scum is off the street. As far as Oprah's money I don't need it, I have my own, I'm retired. Oprah's money is her's and my money is mine!!!
4 Reply BernardProfitendieu 21 hours ago WHUT so basically you followed EEO mandates ... not much personal effort there ... not doing same would result in a lawsuit ... not impressed
1 Reply WHUT 18 hours ago BernardProfitendieu What kind of wacky weed are you smoking, I'm smart enough to follow my own conscience and treat a person by their character and not their color!!! I'm not worried about a lawsuit because I always treated people the way I wanted to be treated!!! Get over it, not all White People are Racist just like all Black People are not Racist. God be with you and hopefully you'll see the light!!!
Reply mactechcert1 9 hours ago WHUT The nuts are out again.
Reply jdurning 2 days ago Martha Stewart over Donald Trump? WTF?
4 Reply Joe_Friend a day ago jdurning Donald Trump? WTF?
3 Jonathan 2 days ago Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply Jonathan 2 days ago How is it that Steven Hirsch and Bill Asher, co-founders of Vivid Video, are not on this list? In the 1990s Vivid began to win industry honors, and today has more AVN Awards than any other studio. Vivid Girls in the 90s included the actresses who were known by their first names alone: Janine, Lexus and Savannah, plus stars such as Christy Canyon, Nikki Tyler, Racquel Darrian (the "brunette goddess of porn"), Chasey Lain,Heather Hunter and Kobe Tai. Those who have attained fame in more recent years include Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick, Savanna Samson, Sunny Leone and others. Vivid became the first studio to introduce celebrity sex tapes, including Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee: Hardcore & Uncensored, Janine & Vince Neil: Hardcore and Uncensored, Kim Kardashian Superstar, Jimi Hendrix: The Sex Tape, and others. Additional brand-name awareness has been created with marketing and licensing programs for Vivid Vodka, condoms, snowboards, skateboards, tee shirts, playing cards, advertising, calendars, comic books and book publishing.
1 Reply Pighead 2 days ago How did Martha Stewart (a convicted felon) make the list...? Perhaps we should we be considering Bernard Madoff as well - he clearly had some impact...??? Maybe we should set the bar a little higher - couldn't (shouldn't) she be subbed on for Condoleeza Rice?
6 Reply Sam 2 days ago Pighead A good Rebel can be just as bad as they are good! Back off a bit on her past. We all have them. She made a mistake and she paid her time. She no longer has a mark on her back. So, because she did time she can't succeed? Pretty narrow minded seeing is how we are to be so "forgiving". I know, let's ask Michael Vicks how he feels about success in America?
Reply Snobyrd51 a day ago Sam Exactly what the German people are saying about the bad rap on Adolph Hitler. Poor guy boosted Germany from ruins and the world only looks at one incident in his past.
2 Reply M.J.M 2 days ago hey did all you pick are the moneygrabers,how about BONO or jimmy carter,they do more for this world then all of the dollar-chasers
3 Share Share Share Share Share Reply Mikado_Wu 2 days ago WoW!!! Seriously, do you know anything about Technology or the world. Bill Gates has done 20x more for the Technology industry and 100X more for people in the world in general, then the Dead Pot Head on top. Get real many.... Bill Gates #1
15 Reply A. Nony Mous a day ago Mikado_Wu Gates = convicted monopolist. He didn't even create DOS, his most famous product. Gates bought that from Seattle Computer Products and rebranded it. Windows was originally a poor clone of the Mac UI. Nowadays he's making up for past crimes by giving away money so people will like him and maybe forget about that little monopoly issue. He stays #2. Jobs revolutionized the computer industry with the Apple II and Macintosh, revolutionized the portable music industry with the iPod, revolutionized the post-PC era with the iPad, revolutionized the mobile phone industry with the iPhone, and revolutionized the movie industry with Pixar (all those blockbuster digital animated movies you see nowadays owe their success to Toy Story for paving the way). He stays #1.
Reply Mikado_Wu 21 hours ago A. Nony Mous Jobs did not create anything........ And he too stole all his idea's from other company's. Job's like Google, Manipulative Marketing Masters, that is all. A. Gates was not Convicted, Microsoft was. B. They did nothing that Google and Apple have been doing for years. Stop. rewind........ You know, I am not going to teach you. Probably over you head anyways.
Reply A. Nony Mous 21 hours ago Mikado_Wu Over my head? You argue like a 5 year old child.
spigpen 2 days ago I would have liked to see Wilbur Ross on the list since he has turned around so many failing industries in really rough times and kept so Share Share Share Share Reply I would have liked to see Wilbur Ross on the list since he has turned around so many failing industries in really rough times and kept so many Americans from losing their jobs in extremely rough times(including me). You will always be on my list of 25.
Reply SHOCKPROOF 2 days ago Where's Elon Musk & James Cameron?
8 Reply thewags05 2 days ago SHOCKPROOF Musk's biggest undertaking have been fairly recent. If SpaceX and Tesla end up working out well in the long term he should definitely be on the list though.
3 Reply WHUT 2 days ago thewags05 Don't forget Solar City.
1 Reply pillpoppinpuppy 2 days ago Not one O&G entrepreneur? How about George Mitchell, who started the fracking revolution?
1 Reply warren white 2 days ago I'm surprised that the Craig & John MaCaw are not mentioned with their vision and start up of Cellular 1 mobile cell service. How would Steve Jobs and Apple have been as successful without the I Phone???
2 Reply Hman612 2 days ago #5 put thousands of independent bookstores in the U.S out of business and you reward this guy with that?!?!?! No Way should he be on the list! ANd #7!! Are you kidding me? WHat a joke!
2 BernardProfitendieu 2 days ago Hman612 LOL!!! Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply LOL!!!
Reply thewags05 2 days ago Hman612 The world moves on and business models must adjust or perish. He's certainly has been a major disruptive force in commerce, that's sort of the point of this list.
Reply Chris Fruitrich 2 days ago Hman612 This was a list of people who made the most profound changes in commerce ... not people who fit your personal view of the world.
3 Reply Kevin McArdle 2 days ago I'm with RGthree!!!!
1 Reply Turkey42 2 days ago Just wandered, was Ted Turner considered?
Reply Sam 2 days ago Turkey42 For what?
Reply A. Nony Mous 2 days ago So no business leader in Japan, the world's 3rd largest economy, had as much worldwide influence as Martha Stewart?
3 Reply warren white 2 days ago A. Nony Mous Name me 1 invention out of Japan?
Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply A. Nony Mous 2 days ago warren white I'm sure you're kidding, but inventions or ideas pioneered in Japan include Blu-ray discs, compact discs, flash RAM, lean manufacturing techniques, general anesthesia, methamphetamine, portable calculators, quartz wristwatches, Walkmans, "bullet" train, flat panel displays, and hundreds more inventions or pioneering developments. Probably you've heard or even used some of those. Not to mention instant noodles and ninjas. :)
2 Reply warren white 2 days ago A. Nony Mous I wasn't implying that Japan does not have skill's!!! Their manufacturing is second to non that is their strength they take other company inventions and improve on them. ie Lexus!!!!
Reply UtahDave 2 days ago Generally an interesting and fairly complete list. The silliness leading up to the selections were nonsense, but usually always need hype and smoked mirrors to build the anticipation. If someone got "angry" as advertised at this list, then CNBC marketing won, not your displeasure. The network provides a lot of useful information, but it also needs to be recognized for what it is and that is a marketing platform for Wall Street and those who handsomely profit from being part of it. Whether an increasing amount of our GDP associated with all this monkeying, manipulation, and trading really adds the value claimed for it, should be viewed with great skepticism.
Reply GusK 2 days ago Was Martha Stewart's contribution that she brought attention to insider trading?
9 Reply Tom Trainor 2 days ago anyone above #10 couldn't shine Andy Grove's shoes, make that number 9
Jonathan 2 days ago Interesting choice at #24: a convicted felon. Share Share Share Share Share Reply Interesting choice at #24: a convicted felon.
1 Reply RGthree 2 days ago Does it only bother me that there are 28 people on this list of top 25?
6 Reply WHUT 2 days ago RGthree Some of them tied for that position!!!
Reply strausdavis 2 days ago I looked at the list, and overall, I think it is a pretty good list. A few movement here or there, might have added some others, and removed some others. You have to consider world impact and significance. A few who made negative comments about Oprah and/or Martha Stewart being on this list surely do not understand what these two women have done. Oprah's impact on the world, and the so- called Oprah Impact, is recognized by those in the know. I know of no other person, given where she started from, who has had more of a impact on the world. She is the only the second woman, who has owned or headed a movie studio. Lucille Ball, was the first, and now Oprah. Also, no one can deny the impact Lucille Ball, had of the world. So it has been with Oprah.
Reply Rick Lepow a day ago strausdavis You forgot Mary Pickford. Only three woman in the US to own their own studios. And BTW, who cares. Oprah didn't change the world. Lucy didn't change the world. And Mary Pickford didn't change the world. The were great for the entertainment industry but really, Elon Musk, Eric Schmidt and Reed Hastings changed the world. Changed it, not entertained it.....
Reply strausdavis 20 hours ago Rick Lepow Rick, you are clueless. You seem to think one need to change or accomplishment, needs to be physical. Remember, if you do not know. The Oprah Effect, and her series of empowering people, surely have an effect on people and is a significant accomplishing. Perhaps what she has done, has had no effect on you.
Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply Rick Lepow 18 hours ago strausdavis First off, please use English. Preferred language in the US. Second, candidly, Oprah never did anything for me, my neighborhood, my state or my country -- the US. She made an unGodly amount of money hosting a show....and then builds a school in Africa with all her wealth at her disposal and doesn't build one single school in the US. She's immaterial to our world...i.e., had she not existed, my life would not be affected one iota. How many rooms are there in her LA mansion? Do you know about Oprah and Gayle and what they do with their money? Never ever puts $$$ into start-ups or any enterprise that will employ people in the future or distrupt technology like Bill and iMan or Musk....
Reply MichaelTison 2 days ago Sam Walton. He was still active growing America's largest business from 1989-1992. He had a tremendous impact on business in America during the 25 years of your list. 4 while living, 21 with his team keeping his company growing. He maybe should have been #1.
6 Reply Mark Matheson 2 days ago Jobs, really? iVisionary? Give me a break. After decades of fumbling Apple make the iPod (which wasn't a big success until iTunes got to the Windows platform), then they made the iPod with phone functionality, then they made the huge iPod. Whilst the design may have been new, they were ideas taken from other companies (Creative Labs and Blackberry spring to mind). Just like Apple OS was stolen from Xerox. Very visionary.
8 Reply Sam 2 days ago Mark Matheson Seriously guys? I guess you don't listen to music as you travel through life huh? Whose idea was that? Let me guess, yours? NOT. Oh, right I guess you don't use that feature. Or wait, he STOLE it. I forgot!
Kevin McArdle 2 days ago Mark Matheson Agree with you Mark! Jobs is primarily a high profile thief!!! Stole everything!!! Including the software behavior of the iPhone!!! (Stole it from a NY engineering professor!) Amazing how financial success can blind people (the media especially) to the truth!! Actually most of these "founders" are primarily thieves! Share Share Share Share Reply Actually most of these "founders" are primarily thieves!
Reply Rie 2 days ago Mark Matheson I am going to bite. He is. Number one he created the icon programming that Bill stole. Okay, and Pixar was his baby before coming back in to the apple fold. Okay when apple was struggling Steve was not there. Call a spade a spade.
1 Reply Kevin McArdle 2 days ago Rie Dude (or Dudette) since I can't tell... Jobs did not create the "icon" software, or more precisely, the Graphical User Interface (or GUI) or also called, the "desktop metaphor" interface!!! He stole that concept from Xerox!!! He went for a tour of the Xerox Palo Alto Labs and saw the "Star" interface (as it was called there) and brought the concept back to his people!!! Kudos for Apple for running with the idea, and shame on the "empty suits" at Xerox for allowing the concept to languish in the labs and not marketing it themselves!!!!
Reply Mark Matheson 2 days ago Rie I am sure neither of them are innocent of stealing each others toys through the years but a quick Google and I cannot see any association between Jobs and Icon programming language. I'll give you Pixar but much like Apple he was there at the beginning, he drummed up the money but he didn't have much to do with the development of their products (probably other than to express delight or disdain at the work being produced).
Reply utrph77004 2 days ago Mark Matheson If it weren't for Jobs VISION of the Xerox GUI at PARC, then it probably would've never even made it to consumers en masse via the Mac. Yes, Jobs had a VISION that few could rival. He envisioned a PC, which he popularized with the Apple II. He envisioned a GUI and mouse, which he popularized with the Mac. He envisioned a better MP3, and introduced the world to the iPod, the most popular music player, still to this very day. He envisioned a better, easier to use smartphone and tablet, which have become the best selling phone and tablet models in the world. He didn't invent; he reinvented. Could another have come up with the same things? Probably so, but he had his own vision and had the means to carry it through. All of the things Jobs pushed into Apple's products ended up becoming industry standards and things that rivals (Microsoft, Samsung, Google's Android) borrowed from liberally. Now stop being a hater and smile.
9 Share Share Share Share Share Reply 9 Reply SE 2 days ago utrph77004 I don't think the world would be worse off without the Mac or other Apple computers, which have always been expensive, niche products. Even desktop publishing, graphic design and advertising, their top markets, went to Adobe products which are made for Windows also, thus obviating the Mac's apparent advantages in the design world. To me the best advances were the i-products. His accomplishment is one of execution more than vision, in my opinion. I'm nearing the end of his famous biography, read exclusively on the iphone 4, and it would appear he was alone in having the resources and the will to get good design done. Of course, he built most of his own resources, so you have to give him credit as an entrepreneur and manager as well as a very hard working guy. The book doesn't say enough about Apple's organization, although that info. is probably off limits. He may also be an unheralded organization man. The snippets you get suggest Apple had very smart, forward thinking policies about team building and people placement.
1 Reply crh02 2 days ago imho, no serious list of top 25 should exclude Michael Milken, who made vast amounts of capital available to aspiring businessmen. W While not all the deals were laudatory, still he opened doors to many.
2 Reply Christophe 2 days ago Sorry, but I think given the number of people who actually use the products, I'd say Zuck should be ahead of Greenspan/Bernanke, Bezos, Winfrey and Buffett. Facebook changed the whole world, Oprah has not been relevant for the better part of a decade. Bezos is certainly up there as well given Amazon's lasting impact. I don't get Buffett--non-activist investor is relevant to EVERYONE how?
Reply Rie 2 days ago Christophe Bernanke is getting a bum rap. Give him some credit for trying to dig us out of this hole. Buffet, you are wrong on Buffet save several banks in the heat of the crisis. Okay then look at Hank Paulson who did he go to.
2 naapi 2 days ago Where's Draghi? Should be in the top ten at least. Those CEOs like Jobs, Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg etc just happened to be in the right place at the right time. If it wasn't them there would have been someone else doing the exact same thing. iPhone was not the first Share Share Share Share Share Reply right place at the right time. If it wasn't them there would have been someone else doing the exact same thing. iPhone was not the first smartphone, Windows was not the first window-based OS, Google wasn't the first search engine, Facebook wasn't the first social networking site, Tesla is not the first electric car ... so why praise them?
1 Reply Christophe 2 days ago naapi Oh, I don't know, because all the other people who were there at the right time did not do those things? Facebook displaced other social networking sites--it won. Are you being serious? Mario Draghi has made more of an impact than Facebook? European monetary policy changes lives globally in a meaningful way? DOHKAY!
Reply Free Your Mind 2 days ago Where is Kim Kardashian on this list? She revolutionized the way you gold dig. This thing is clearly rigged...
11 Reply Manuel_Labor 2 days ago No George Mitchell? He figured out fracking and made it work.
3 Reply Ross Carver 2 days ago It seems there is a bent on capitalism (rich people) - not that this is necessarily wrong, but I don't understand why Linus Torvalds isn't on this list - what he did makes SO many more people rich every day. Facebook, for one example, wouldn't be without Linus and Linux.
2 RogerMercer 2 days ago Ross Carver Capitalism does not mean rich people. it means all our poor people have a good chance to get rich, if they want to. If you do not have that, you do not have capitalism. Who are the rich? The 1 percent changes from week to week and year to year. A very high percentage of the very rich have become middle class over the last couple of decades. And a great many middle class and poor have become very rich. This is America, where free markets and investments create incredible wealth that is accessible to anyone who is smart and works hard. Or is inventive, creative and organized. Or who has special athletic talent. Or musical talent. Under capitalism, all have an equal chance to be great. Some choose not to. Some lack the talent and intellect to achieve greatness, but they can be darned good plumbers. Some of the wealthiest people I know are very good electricians, plumbers, welders and brick layers who work for themselves or have their own small businesses. Share Share Share Share Share Reply electricians, plumbers, welders and brick layers who work for themselves or have their own small businesses.
Reply tkohl 2 days ago Dangota , Wang , Whitman ????? seriously ? I dont even start to tell you who you missed ..... I know that it tough to pick THE 25 , but those 3 up there are just small figures in the big picture.
Reply Rie 2 days ago tkohl I agree here. I am still reeling from that hit I to with HP.
Reply craig_k7283695 2 days ago Discount brokerage pioneers Charles Schwab or Leslie Quick. For better or worse, Sandy Weill who built Shearson Loeb, helmed Am Express, empired Citi Group and was responsible for unwinding of Glass-Steagall. Lee Kun-hee, head of Samsung since 1987. Changed Samsung Electronics from a cheap b&w tv company to international heavyweight.
2 Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago craig_k7283695 I agree with you here! I can't believe they left certain guys off. They also should have put Jack C.Taylor on here. How many of us don't use Enterprise Car Rentals? Or some car rental service when we travel?
2 Reply RandallC 2 days ago craig_k7283695 Agree with the omission of discount brokerage pioneers. Good call.
RandallC 2 days ago Warren Buffett is a very successful investor, but I don't see him as one of the 25 most influential or transformative persons of the last 25 years. It's nice to have him as a flag-bearer for buy-and-hold investing, but he's not why I chose that investment strategy; he just confirms it as sound. Not sure if having two Fed Chairmen at #3 is a good thing. I don't think a Fed Chairmen's job is to be influential or Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply confirms it as sound. Not sure if having two Fed Chairmen at #3 is a good thing. I don't think a Fed Chairmen's job is to be influential or transformative. The list contains a lot of people who founded companies that did transform how we live our day to day lives, as it should, but I don't understand why all the CEOs who were not the architects of the companies. Meg Whitman? Elon Musk (Paypal) probably had more to do with the success of eBay. I'll even grudgingly give a nod to Mark Zuckerberg; and if he's on it, Musk should be on it. If Martha Stewart's on the list, where's the founder of IKEA? Maybe it's too old. Oprah? Eeehhh, yeah, okay ... definitely influential. Her "rise to riches" story is entertaining, but transformative? Next 25? Innovators in renewable/alternative energy and biotech (stem cells) ... with the gaps filled in by rich people.
1 Reply Rie 2 days ago RandallC Ok Warren Buffet save quite few banks in the crisis. When there are problems even the innovators call Buffet. For example Hank Paulson, Dick Fuld, Lloyd Blankfien. When he gives his opinions people listen. Mark Zuckerberg is like Bill Gates as far as i am concerned. He takes credit for other peoples finds. Bill Gates number two. Come on I know if you guys are here than you know who he stole his icon technology. Can you say Steve Jobs.
Reply thewags05 2 days ago Rie Or Xerox? It's not like apple had the first interface utilizing the "desktop" metaphor.
Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago I think they should have put the CEOs of the big banks on here. Even if that influence was used in a heinous manner, they were really influential to the lives of BILLIONS across the world. Honestly, I really expected more from this list.
3 Reply slapppy 2 days ago Steve Jobs is an excellent and the right choice. Thats fantastic!
5 SE 2 days ago Neither Facebook nor Google has been around for 25 years and they and their progenitors should not be on this list. Share Share Share Share Share Reply Neither Facebook nor Google has been around for 25 years and they and their progenitors should not be on this list.
4 Reply Rob Marshall 2 days ago Crazy uncle Jack...give me a break. He made the disastrous decision to start GE capital which almost brought the company into bankruptcy.
5 Reply Sapir-Whorf 2 days ago Probably a better list would be the top 25 self-made billionaires in the world. That would leave the Walton's off.
1 Reply Brad Hect 2 days ago Jack Welch, really? Just look at the leaders he trained at GE ..... Gary Wendt, Paolo Fresco, Jeff Ihmelt, Jim McNerney, Robert Nardelli......these guys did far more harm than good for the companies they've ran (including GE, Boeing, Fiat, and Home Depot )....I contend this just shows how some great companies survive in spite of bad management and that most CEOs are far overrated and over paid.
4 Reply billtxxus 2 days ago Brad Hect Exactly, what great vision did Jack have ? GE Capital which almost bankrupted the company ? They only now are recovering from his mess.
2 Reply V. W. 2 days ago What about Herb Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines, whose vision almost singlehandedly turned the airline industry from an elitist luxury to a mass transportation economic necessity/utility/reality.
7 Reply Richard Roth 2 days ago V. W. You would need to put Freddy Laker above Kelleher
Share Share Share Share Share Share Share Reply HowieFeltersnatch 2 days ago Martha Stewart? Oprah? Great list you got here :)
2 Reply Sapir-Whorf 2 days ago Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke. Really, the biggest destroyers of capital this century who have ruined millions of lives with their boom bust cycles in 2000 and 2008 perpetuated by non-market based debt financing. I would say jail is more appropriate than the CNBC top 25 list.
1 Reply SE 2 days ago They missed Hilary Clinton. Moreso than Bill Clinton. She's had enormous influence on women.
2 Reply SE 2 days ago SE I guess the criterion being business and finance, perhaps that's why world leaders and politicians aren't represented, although we all know the influence they have on the economy.
2 Reply nytimes 2 days ago Bill Gates should be #1 on the list , for Global IT revolution that made a huge dent on business or finance!
10 Reply GusK 2 days ago The United States has the lowest cost energy of any industrialized country in the World. How that occurred over the past few years and who helped make it happen has apparently escaped your recognition. Then I guess energy production is just not PC.
2 Reply SE 2 days ago GusK The US has always had the lowest cost energy because they have the lowest gas taxes.
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Reply GusK 2 days ago SE Not when you consider the cost in blood and money to get it from the Middle East!
Reply SE 2 days ago GusK They get most of it from Canada, I think they use 6 shooters.
Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago I don't say this b/c I am half-black. B/c I know there is where people will want to go. However, I am not shocked but "somewhat" surprised that Michael Jordan isn't on the list. I knew it was a long shot. But, I thought that they might put him on here. The fact that he was able to make himself, basically, a billionaire by playing sports is amazing. He used his marketing ability to, literally, change the landscape in the sneaker market. He made Phil Knight billions. He is majority owner in a team. And, he makes nearly $100 million a year still from his shoe brand alone. He made $80 mil and $90 mil the last two years. When Jordan retired the first time, I remember them saying that he had brought over $150 billion into the economy. And, that was in 1998. And, many athletes white/black/Hispanic, etc. of all sports have tried to pattern themselves after Michael Jordan, especially when it comes to branding and marketing. He marketed himself well enough to become one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. To me, he was an absolute pioneer for athletes marketing themselves and turning themselves into brands. He has been a horrible owner. But, he has been an astute businessman in an age where blacks in the U.S. don't get much of a chance.
5 Reply IamAbraxas 2 days ago DoughJames . I am a huge fan of Michael Jordan but this list is not about who has done very well for himself, or who is the greatest basketball player, or even the greatest athlete, but about people who have had the most impact on business, and let's be honest, Jordan doesn't belong there. If fact, as you point out, Jordan hasn't been the best business man himself.
Share Share Share Share Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago IamAbraxas I am saying Jordan b/c when he retired the first time, I remember them saying that he had brought over $150 billion into the economy. And, that was in 1998. And, many athletes white/black/Hispanic, etc. of all sports have tried to pattern themselves after Michael Jordan, especially when it comes to branding and marketing. We LOVE sports in the U.S. and around the world. Michael Jordan influenced many of athletes. I wasn't just saying it b/c he was a great basketball player. I am looking how he made people buy NIKE. He is the name behind Nike AIR. The AIR came from him. I didn't say Jordan wasn't a good businessman. I said he was a bad team owner. I say that b/c his team sucks. Not b/c they don't make money. I think Michael Jordan is an astute businessman. He has made almost a billion dollars. He still has people buying his shoes and clothing 16 years after he "really" left the NBA.
2 Reply billtxxus 2 days ago DoughJames . Again depends on the criteria, but I think a lot of black businessmen have been overlooked, like Russell Simmons, Don Peebles, Richard Parsons for instance. Michael certainly changed how sports marketing is done. Oprah is on the list, but other than making herself rich, and entertaining us, what has she done ? I would say Russell has had more impact, and is more of a role model for future black businessmen, than Oprah, who is literally a one in a billion story not to be repeated.
2 Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago billtxxus I agree businessmen should look to Russell Simmons over Oprah. Oprah is an entertainer. However, it is undeniable that Oprah has been more "influential," which the list is "supposed" to be. Richard Parsons and Don Peebles aren't really influential. They are good businessmen. I wouldn't say that they have done anything worthy of putting them on this list. I am saying Jordan b/c when he retired the first time, I remember them saying that he had brought over $150 billion into the economy. And, that was in 1998. And, many athletes white/black/Hispanic, etc. of all sports have tried to pattern themselves after Michael Jordan, especially when it comes to branding and marketing. I don't really agree with the list. It looks like a billionaire list to me, with few exceptions.
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Reply SE 2 days ago DoughJames . I totally agree with you. MJ should be in the top 10 for how he changed sports. In fact, I think he ranks higher than the technology people who are ranked too high. It's also amazing there are no world leaders in there.
2 Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago SE They said they tried to stay away from world leaders and politicians.
Reply Ian Walker 2 days ago Umm, the inventor of the world wide web maybe had an impact?
3 Reply DoughJames . 2 days ago Ian Walker I don't think that has been done in the last 25 years.
1 Reply Jerry 2 days ago DoughJames . Actually, it was. Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. I would also say that Steve Case of AOL should be on this list before Oprah was ever even considered.
5 Reply Ian Walker 2 days ago Jerry The first website built was at CERN and put online on 6 August 1991:
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