“The past 25 years have been a period of dazzling growth for the U.S. economy, powered by innovative companies led by brilliant — and sometimes notorious — entrepreneurs and CEOs and one Federal Reserve maestro,” Ron Coddington writes for USA Today.
“These leaders — with products ranging from coffee to microprocessors — are the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years, as ranked by USA TODAY’s Money section editors and reporters,” Coddington writes.
Gates tops this list, Steve Jobs is at #3, just ahead of Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, with Andy Grove of Intel at #6. Even box-assembler Michael Dell makes this one at #17.
#3: Steve Jobs, Apple: Co-founder of Apple, Jobs was ousted in a boardroom coup in 1985. But he prospered in exile, founding Pixar, the company that redefined animation. He returned to Apple in 1997, and the rest is history: iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Pixar was actually founded in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of George Lucas’ Lucasfilm’s Computer Division. The group was purchased in 1986 from Lucas by Steve Jobs for US$5 million, with Jobs also provided another $5 million in capital for the company – which at the time made high end graphics design computer hardware (Pixar Image Computer). Steve Jobs served as Pixar’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until May 2006, when the company was bought by Disney at which time Jobs took a place on the Disney board of directors and became Disney’s largest individual shareholder. But, whaddya expect, it’s USA Today — close enough for their standards, right?
Hey, I founded Pixar and sold it to Steve.
Not to mention he started the war in iRAQ.
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And in case you were wondering…
#1 Bill Gates
#2 Alan Greenspan
Sorry folks, but in the past 25 years, Alan Greenspan was the msot important person in business. No one, but no one comes close.
Now, let the Gates bashing begin!
Who said USA Today was nothing but a fish wrapper?
That is sad. “Journalism” at work….
I mean, if they can’t research Steve Jobs correctly, can you believe the facts in the other articles???
Where would Gates be, if Jobs had not hired him to make software for the Mac??
more so, what about Ballmer?
How is Bill Gates the most influential?
Last time he came to Congress thirsting for more Z Visas, they told him to shut the fsck up and sent him on his way. Nobody gives a fsck what Bill Gates has to say. Nobody listens to him.
When Steve Jobs hands down commands, things get done!
I invented Pixar.
I invented and own the letter “L.” (©1952 Botvinnik Letters, Inc.)
@R2
To be fair, it is the “last 25 years”. During that time, by whatever means, Microsoft became the engine of computing on upwards to 95% of computers. That, by any standards is influencial. I’m not defending Bill Gates or MS methods for obtaining that position (God forbid), but it did happen.
Bill Gates is influential to me.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Hey Zune Tang, how ya doin’?
Hey Zune Tang, how ya doin’?
Hey Zune Tang, how ya doin’?
Hey Zune Tang, how ya doin’?
Alan Greenspan lowered interest rates that encorage people to refinance and spend the equity in their homes. It was a fake economic boom that’s led to many people now losing their homes.
No comment!
Zune Tang Klang….
Your Frustration, Our fault.
Shit, it’s the last 25 years?
Well disregard my earlier comment.
Artist. Greenspan didn’t force anyone to buy a $600,000 house while they were making $9.00 per hour. For the most part it was private equity money that financed the boom. In fact, HSBC a large British bank just reported loses of about $6 billion on home loans in the US. Do you think Alan Greenspan “forced” a British bank to make a stupid loan? See: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/hsbc-net-up-25-china/story.aspx?guid={477D774F-FBCA-402C-B8A8-EFDBDEC6DB82}
Bill Gates is the richest man, not the most influential, not even influential at all with regard to technology.
He has nothing of value to contribute to technology. He just has a lot of money. Ditto for Ballmer.
Being Influential doesn’t mean you are doing it in a good way. Bill has influenced millions of people to buy iPods and now to purchase macs and other apple products.
Way to go Bill!
Credit where it’s due.
Bill Gates has been a huge inspiration to amphibian-related, cartoon voiceover artists everywhere.
When ever ZT posts I automatically skip over the drivel and move along.
Don’t listen to the Kool-Aid drinkers.
What is so important about Gates? how to steal and plagiarise. The only worthwhile thing Gates does is give to the poor, unfortunately it wasnt just the rich he stole from
No mention in the USA Today blurb about NeXT???