By Muhammad Fathoni Jumat, 13 April 2012 0 comments

Posted on 29 Januari 2009 by Admin

Ni sekedar info aja kalo ada mobil bodinya dari emas, ni mobil punya juragan onta ama minyak tanah di daerah Dubai Arab sono. Kalo siang ni mobil bikin sakit mata karena bikin silau. Mau lihat gambar keren lainnya? Lanjuuut…

By Muhammad Fathoni 0 comments

Posted on 30 Januari 2009 by Admin
Mau Liat kemewahan daleman jet pribadi Sultan Brunei? (Orang paling tajir sejagad Raja minyak tanah dari negeri seberang) sok manggaaa…

By Muhammad Fathoni 0 comments

Orang-orang Terkaya di Dunia Teknologi Informasi

Bill Gates sukses menjadi orang terkaya di Amerika Serikat versi majalah Forbes melalui perusahaan piranti lunak Microsoft. Selain Gates, siapa lagi orang terkaya di AS yang meraup hartanya dari dunia teknologi informasi (TI)?
Dilansir dari detikINET dan dari TechCrunch, Larry Ellison dari Oracle adalah orang TI terkaya berikutnya setelah Bill Gates. Ia menduduki posisi tiga dalam daftar Forbes.
Menyusul kemudian adalah Michael Dell, pendiri produsen komputer Dell, pada posisi ke-11. Dell disusul oleh Paul Allen, pendiri Microsoft, pada posisi ke-12.
Duet Google Sergey Brin dan Larry Page berturut-turut ada di posisi 13 dan 14 dalam daftar tersebut. Kekayaan dua tokoh itu hanya terpaut 0,1 miliar.
Tokoh lain yang juga tercantum adalah Steve Jobs pada posisi ke-61. Kemudian patut jadi perhatian adalah Mark Zuckerberg, pendiri Facebook, yang masuk dalam daftar Forbes pada posisi ke-321.
Berikut adalah daftar lengkap tokoh-tokoh dunia TI yang masuk dalam daftar orang terkaya versi majalah Forbes (nomor urut menunjukkan posisinya dalam daftar Forbes):
1. Bill Gates (Microsoft), USD 57 miliar
3. Larry Ellison (Oracle), USD 27 miliar
11. Michael Dell (Dell), USD 17.3 miliar
12. Paul Allen (Microsoft), USD 16 miliar
13. Sergey Brin (Google), USD 15.9 miliar
14. Larry Page (Google), USD 15.8 miliar
15. Steve Ballmer (Microsoft), USD 15 miliar
33. Jeff Bezos (Amazon), USD 8.7 miliar
47. Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.), USD 6.8 miliar
54. Pierre Omidyar (eBay), USD 6.3 miliar
59. Eric Schmidt (Google), USD 5.9 miliar
61. Steve Jobs (Apple), USD 5.7 miliar
84. Gordon Moore (Intel), USD 4.4 miliar
84. John Sall (SAS Institute), USD 4.4 miliar
91. David Sun (Kingston Technology), USD 4 miliar
91. John Tu, (Kingston Technology), USD 4 miliar
105. Richard Shulze (Best Buy), USD 3.5 miliar
144. Ray Dolby (Dolby), USD 2.9 miliar
161. Mark Cuban (Broadcast.com), USD 2.6 miliar
246. Irwin Jacobs (Qualcomm), USD 1.9 miliar
246. Omid Kordestani (Google), USD 1.9 miliar
262. Henry Samueli (Broadcom), USD 1.8 miliar
281. David Filo (Yahoo), USD 1.7 miliar
321. Amar Bose (Bose), USD 1.5 miliar
321. Todd Wagner (Broadcast.com), USD 1.5 miliar
321. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), USD 1.5 miliar
355. Richard Egan (EMC), USD 1.4 miliar
355. Vinod Khosla (Sun Microsystems), USD 1.4 miliar
355. Theodore Waitt (Gateway), USD 1.4 miliar

By Muhammad Fathoni 0 comments

Walopun bagaimanapun meskipun haiyah… sedang dilanda krisis global, beberapa perusahaan berusaha untuk memanjakan karyawan mereka. Tahun lalu Google nongkrong di peringkat 1, tahun ini lengser ke peringkat 4. Berikut rangkuman daftar 10 perusahaan terbaik buat yang lagi cari-cari kerja, siapa tahu anda berminat bekerja disana  monggo…


Rank: 1 (Previous rank: 14)
What makes it so great?
Employee enthusiasm for the legendary egalitarian culture helped catapult NetApp to No. 1 after six years on our list.
Typical of its down-to-earth management ethos, NetApp early on ditched a travel policy a dozen ­pages long in favor of this maxim: “We are a frugal company. But don’t show up dog-tired to save a few bucks. Use your common sense.” Rather than business plans, many units write “future histories,” imagining where their business will be a year or two out.
And the benefits are tops: five paid days for volunteer work, $11,390 adoption aid, and autism coverage — used by 43 employees since 2006 at a cost of $242,452. The company has gained market share during the slump, hasn’t had layoffs, and has more than $2 billion in cash on hand to help it ride out the global financial crisis.
Headquarters: 495 East Java Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
2007 revenue ($ millions): 3,303
Website: www.netapp.com
2. Edward Jones

Rank: 2 (Previous rank: 4)
What makes it so great?
The stock market collapse reduced partner distributions and bonuses, but Jim Weddle, who heads the brokerage, assured associates the firm had no exposure to high-risk mortgages or financial derivatives and no plans for layoffs. Jones hired 698 new financial advisors in the first ten months of 2008 and is building an addition to its St. Louis headquarters for 500 new employees.
Headquarters: 12555 Manchester Road
St. Louis, MO 63131
2007 revenue ($ millions): 4,147
Website: www.edwardjones.com
3. Boston Consulting Group

Rank: 3 (Previous rank: 11)
What makes it so great?
Management consultant has increased recruitment of minorities (25% of staff, up from 19% in 2004). Offers first-class health insurance: $5 co-pay for doctor visits, 100% fertility treatment coverage.
Headquarters: 53 State Street
Boston, MA 2109
2007 revenue ($ millions): 2,300
Website: www.bcg.com
4. Google

Rank: 4 (Previous rank: 1)
What makes it so great?
Tech powerhouse marked tenth birthday in 2008. While the company still attracts 777,000 applicants a year, hiring has slowed, and Google recently cut frills like afternoon tea and an annual ski trip.
Headquarters: 1600 Ampitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
2007 revenue ($ millions): 16,594
Website: www.google.com
5. Wegmans Food Markets

What makes it so great?
Recent offerings at this family-owned supermarket chain: Employees could buy gift cards of up to $250 at a 10% discount to help with food costs; Wegmans is also rolling out free yoga classes at each of its stores.
Headquarters: 1500 Brooks Avenue
Rochester, NY 14603
2007 revenue ($ millions): 4,511
Website: www.wegmans.com
6. Cisco Systems

Rank: 6 (Previous rank: 6)
What makes it so great?
CEO John Chambers is focusing on collaborative efforts to give employees more say in decision-making. With over $26 billion in cash and investments, Cisco is poised to ride out the business slowdown and has about 500 job openings, mostly across engineering disciplines and in “customer advocacy.”
Headquarters: 170 West Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
2007 revenue ($ millions): 34,900
Website: www.cisco.com
7. Genentech

Rank: 7 (Previous rank: 5)
What makes it so great?
The biotech leader continued to resist a takeover by shareholder Roche; it also implemented retention bonuses and severance ranging from 18 to 52 weeks’ pay for anyone terminated after a merger.
Headquarters: 1 DNA Way
South San Francisco, CA 94080
2007 revenue ($ millions): 11,724
Website: www.gene.com
8. Methodist Hospital System

Rank: 8 (Previous rank: 10)
What makes it so great?
Methodist broke ground on $2 billion in construction in 2008, filled 300 new jobs, and awarded merit pay raises of 3%. Salaried employees who worked long hours after Hurricane Ike got $250 Kroger gift cards.
Headquarters: 6565 Fannin St
Houston, TX 77030
2007 revenue ($ millions): 1,742
Website: www.methodisthealth.com
9. Goldman Sachs

Rank: 9 (Previous rank: 9)
What makes it so great?
Wall Street survivor turned itself into a bank holding company in September and laid off some 3,000 people across the globe by year-end. Top seven officers agreed to forgo bonuses, but rest of staff was in line to receive performance bonuses, albeit at a lower rate.
Headquarters: 85 Broad Street
New York, NY 10004
2007 revenue ($ millions): 45,987
Website: www.gs.com
10. Nugget Market

Rank: 10 (Previous rank: 12)
What makes it so great?
Sales have yet to slump at this crazy-fun supermarket chain, which in 81 years has never had a layoff.
Headquarters: 168 Court St.
Woodland, CA 95695
2007 revenue ($ millions): 273
Website: www.nuggetmarket.com
Berikut Daftar 1 – 100 Perusahaan Terbaik Untuk Bekerja
1. NetApp
2. Edward Jones
3. Boston Consulting Group
4. Google
5. Wegmans Food Markets
6. Cisco Systems
7. Genentech
8. Methodist Hospital System
9. Goldman Sachs
10. Nugget Market
11.Adobe Systems
12. Recreational Equipment (REI)
13. Devon Energy
14. Robert W. Baird
15. W. L. Gore & Associates
16. Qualcomm
17. Principal Financial Group
18. Shared Technologies
19. OhioHealth
20. SAS
21. Arnold & Porter
22. Whole Foods Market
23. Zappos.com
24. Starbucks
25. Johnson Financial Group
26. Aflac
27. QuikTrip
28. PCL Construction Enterprises
29. Quicken Loans
30. Bingham McCutchen
31. CarMax
32. Container Store
33. JM Family Enterprises
34. Umpqua Bank
35. Kimley-Horn & Associates
36. Alston & Bird
37. TDIndustries
38. Microsoft
39. Paychex
40. EOG Resources
41. Camden Property Trust
42. Plante & Moran
43. Rackspace Hosting
44. NuStar Energy
45. King’s Daughters Medical Cntr.
46. American Fidelity Assurance
47. DreamWorks Animation SKG
48. Mattel
49. Intuit
50. Burns & McDonnell
51. Ernst & Young
52. Booz Allen Hamilton
53. Stew Leonard’s
54. Erickson Retirement Communities
55. Salesforce.com
56. KPMG
57. Novo Nordisk
58. PricewaterhouseCoopers
59. Scripps Health
60. Scottrade
61. Deloitte
62. Griffin Hospital
63. Mayo Clinic
64. Milliken
65. Texas Instruments
66. MITRE
67. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
68. Southern Ohio Medical Center
69. National Instruments
70. Stanley
71. Men’s Wearhouse
72. Nordstrom
73. Chesapeake Energy
74. Alcon Laboratories
75. Atlantic Health
76. Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network
77. Northwest Community Hospital
78. Marriott International
79. Baptist Health South Florida
80. Bright Horizons
81. S.C. Johnson & Son
82. Perkins Coie
83. eBay
84. Juniper Networks
85. Arkansas Children’s Hospital
86. CH2M HILL
87. Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
88. Publix Super Markets
89. Herman Miller
90. FedEx
91. Gilbane
92. Four Seasons Hotels
93. Valero Energy
94. Build-A-Bear Workshop
95. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
96. T-Mobile
97. Accenture
98. Vanderbilt University
99. General Mills
100. SRA International

By Muhammad Fathoni 0 comments

10 Orang Terkaya di Dunia

Bro… gimana kalo kita iseng-iseng lihat tampang orang-orang terkaya di dunia ter-update? keren-keren ato kumel-kumel ya? Ni ada 10 wajah orang terkaya di dunia, dari 10 orang tadi ada 4 orang yang sekolahnya kagak jelas 1 orang drop out dan 5 orang tukang insinyur. Ato mungkin tampang ni bisa buat memotivasi kita-kita biar semangat kerja. Mau tahu tampangnya, usianya, bisnisnya, dari negara mana dll? monggo…
( Bahasa Indonesia )
The World’s Billionaires
1. Warren Buffett (Kisah Sukses)

Age: 77 || Fortune: self made || Source: Berkshire Hathaway || Net Worth: $62.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship:United States || Residence: Omaha, Nebraska, United States, North America || Industry: Investments || Marital Status: widowed, remarried, 3 children || Education: University of Nebraska Lincoln, Bachelor of Arts / Science Columbia University, Master of Science
America’s most beloved investor is now the world’s richest man. Soared past friend and bridge partner Bill Gates as shares of Berkshire Hathaway climbed 25% since the middle of last July. Son of Nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. Filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle. Studied under value investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965. Today holding company invested in insurance (Geico, General Re), jewelry (Borsheim’s), utilities (Mid American Energy), food (Dairy Queen, See’s Candies). Also has noncontrolling stakes in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo. Insurance operations flourished in 2007. “That party is over. It’s a certainty that insurance-industry profit margins, including ours, will fall significantly in 2008.” The Oracle of Omaha issued a challenge to members of The Forbes 400 in October; said he would donate $1 million to charity if the collective group of richest Americans would admit they pay less taxes, as a percentage of income, than their secretaries. Had long promised to give away his fortune posthumously. Irrevocably earmarked the majority of his Berkshire shares to charity in 2006, mostly to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gift was valued at $31 billion on day of announcement; donation will far exceed that sum so long as Berkshire shares continue to rise.
2. Carlos Slim Helu & family (Kisah Sukses)

Age: 68 || Fortune: self made || Source: telecom || Net Worth: $60.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship: Mexico || Residence: Mexico City , Mexico, Latin America || Industry: Communications || Marital Status: widowed, 6 children || Education: NA
Second-richest man in the world this year; even richer than Microsoft’s Bill Gates, at least for now, thanks to strong Mexican equities market and the performance of his wireless telephone company, America Movil. The son of a Lebanese immigrant, Slim made his first fortune in 1990 when he bought fixed line operator Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) in a privatization. In December, America Movil struck a deal with Yahoo to provide mobile Web services to 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A widower and father of six, Slim is a baseball fan and art collector. He keeps his art collection in Mexico City’s Museo Soumaya, which he named after his late wife. In recent years, he has donated close to $7 billion worth of cash and stock to fund education and health projects, and to the revitalization of Mexico City’s downtown historical district.
3. William Gates III (Kisah Sukses)

Age: 52 || Fortune: self made || Source: Microsoft || Net Worth: $58.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship:United States || Residence: Medina,Washington , United States,North America || Industry: Software || Marital Status: married, 3 children || Education: Harvard University, Drop Out
Harvard dropout and Microsoft visionary no longer the world’s richest man. Blame Yahoo: Microsoft shares have fallen 15% since the company boldly attempted to merge with the search engine giant to better fight Google for Internet dominance. Gates is preparing to give up day-to-day involvement in the company he cofounded 33 years ago to spend more time focused on his philanthropic endeavors. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has $38.7 billion in assets, donates to causes aimed at bringing financial tools to the poor, speeding up the development of vaccines (for AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis), bettering America’s lagging high schools. Sells 20 million Microsoft shares every quarter, proceeds going to private investment vehicle Cascade; more than half of net worth now outside of Microsoft. Company spent $6 billion to land Web ad firm Aquantive last May. Would-be rival to Apple’s iPod, the Zune, not yet a hit. Believes Microsoft’s far-flung bets, including 10-year affair with Internet-based television, may soon pay off; says next 10 years will be the “most interesting” in software history.
4. Lakshmi Mittal (Kisah Sukses)

Age: 57 || Fortune: inherited and growing || Source: steel || Net Worth: $45.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship: India || Residence: London , United Kingdom, Europe & Russia || Industry: Manufacturing || Marital Status: married, 2 children || Education: St Xavier’s College Calcutta, Bachelor of Arts / Science
Heads world’s largest steelmaker, $105 billion (sales) ArcelorMittal, which accounts for 10% of all crude steel production. Just delivered 580 tons to be used in construction of the World Trade Center memorial in New York. With 44% stake, is the company’s largest shareholder. Longtime resident of London is Europe’s richest resident.
5. Mukesh Ambani (Kisah Sukses) kakak beradik ama Anil Ambani

Age: 50 || Fortune: inherited and growing || Source: petrochemicals || Net Worth: $43.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship: India || Residence: Mumbai , India,Asia & Australia || Industry: Manufacturing || Marital Status: married, 3 children || Education: University of Bombay, Bachelor of Chemical Engineering Stanford University, Master of Business Administration
Asia’s richest resident heads petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company by market cap. His fortune is up $22.9 billion since last year, making him the world’s second biggest gainer in terms of dollars. The biggest gainer was his estranged brother Anil, who ranks 6th in the world just behind his older brother. The sons inherited their fortune from their late father, renowned industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. But they couldn’t get along and in 2005 their mother brokered a peace settlement breaking up the family’s assets. Mukesh is using some of his money to build a 27-story home.
6. Anil Ambani

Age: 48 || Fortune: inherited || Source: diversified || Net Worth: $42.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship: India || Residence: Mumbai , India, Asia & Australia || Industry: Diversified || Marital Status: married, 2 children || Education: University of Bombay, Bachelor of Arts / Science University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Master of Business Administration
The year’s biggest gainer, Anil Ambani, is up $23.8 billion in the past year, and is closing gap with estranged brother, Mukesh, who ranks one spot ahead of him in the world at number five. The sons inherited their fortune from their late father, renowned industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. But they couldn’t get along and in 2005 their mother brokered a peace settlement breaking up the family’s assets. A marathon runner, his biggest asset is his 65% stake in telecom venture Reliance Communications. He recently raised $3 billion from the highly anticipated initial offering of his Reliance Power, the biggest in India’s history. Despite the hype, the stock tumbled 17% immediately after its February listing. In a bid to appease investors, company’s board recently approved the issue of bonus shares. Still feuding with brother Mukesh: battling him in court over a gas-supply agreement.
7. Ingvar Kamprad & family (Kisah Sukses)

Age: 81 || Fortune: self made || Source: Ikea || Net Worth: $31.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship:Sweden || Residence: Lausanne , Switzerland, Europe & Russia || Industry: Retailing || Marital Status: married, 4 children || Education: NA
Peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager. Started selling furniture in 1947. Now his company Ikea, which sells hip designs for the cost conscious, is one of the most beloved retailers in the world, with an almost cultlike following. Ikea now has stores in 40 countries, from Sunrise, Florida, to Guangzhou in China. As egalitarian as his brand, Kamprad avoids wearing suits, flies economy class and frequents cheap restaurants. Has been quoted as saying that his luxuries are the occasional nice cravat and Swedish fish roe. Says his home is furnished mostly with his own Ikea products. Last May was awarded the Global Economy Prize by the University of Kiel for his contributions to society.
8. KP Singh

Age: 76 || Fortune: inherited and growing || Source: real estate || Net Worth: $30.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship: India || Residence: Delhi , India, Asia & Australia || Industry: Real Estate || Marital Status: married, 3 children || Education: NA
Singh is now the world’s richest real estate baron after listing his real estate development company DLF in 2007. The offering helped triple his fortune to $30 billion this year, up from $10 billion. A former army officer, known as K.P., he joined his father-in-law’s Delhi Land & Finance in 1961. Singh later built DLF City in Gurgaon, his showpiece township on the outskirts of Delhi, by acquiring land from farmers. Over time, he transformed it into one of India’s biggest real estate developers. Group plans to raise another $1.5 billion by listing a subsidiary in Singapore. A keen golfer, he now leaves son Rajiv, daughter Pia to run operations.
9. Oleg Deripaska

Age: 40 || Fortune: self made || Source: Russian Aluminum || Net Worth: $28.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship:Russia || Residence: Moscow , Russia, Europe & Russia || Industry: Diversified || Marital Status: married, 2 children || Education: Moscow State University Plekhanov Academy of Economics
Former metals trader survived the gangster wars in the post-Soviet aluminum industry. His holding company, Basic Element, now owns Russian Aluminum (UC Rusal), automobile manufacturer GAZ, aircraft manufacturer Aviacor and insurance company Ingosstrakh. In 2006 Rusal, SUAL and Glencore International, of Switzerland, merged their aluminum assets into the United Company Rusal, the world’s largest aluminum producer. Married to a relative of Yeltsin, Deripaska has been busy expanding UC Rusal’s activities in Russia and abroad, moving it into aluminum production in Nigeria and China. To integrate vertically, has signed agreements to produce coal in Kazakhstan and invest in a nuclear power plant in eastern Russia. Attempting to get a stake in Norilsk Nickel, which co-owner (and fellow billionaire) Vladimir Potanin is fighting.
10. Karl Albrecht

Age: 88 || Fortune: self made || Source: Aldi || Net Worth: $27.0 bil || Country Of Citizenship: Germany || Residence: Mulheim an der Ruhr , Germany, Europe & Russia || Industry: Retailing || Marital Status: married, 2 children || Education: NA
Germany’s richest man. After World War II Karl and his younger brother, Theo, developed their mother’s corner grocery store into discount supermarket giant Aldi, which now has more than 8,000 stores and $67 billion in sales. They eventually split ownership and management of the chain into North and South regions. Now retired, Karl used to manage more profitable southern half of Aldi’s business in Germany. Fiercely private: Little known about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.
Sumber : www.forbes.com
diposting oleh Telogodog
Kisah Sukses Orang Terkaya di Dunia :

• 10 Orang Terkaya di Dunia 2012

By Muhammad Fathoni 0 comments

Ok Bro… iseng-iseng ini ada berita bukan dari mbah kuncen tapi dari Laptop Magazine yaitu 25 Orang Yang Paling Berpengaruh di Teknologi Seluler. Orang-orang ni katanya inovatif, kreatif dan tif-tif lainnya sampe menghasilkan karya-karya yang mungkin bro-bro semua memakainya sehari-hari baik secara langsung atau tidak langsung. Well…, nggak usah panjang lebar mari kita lihat siapa aja mereka monggo… 
( Bahasa Indonesia )
Most Influential Person in Mobile Technology
1.  Dan Hesse

Position: CEO, Sprint Nextel
Age: 55
Location: Overland Park, Kans.
Dan Hesse took the reins of a beleaguered Sprint at the end of last year. In the wake of what is widely considered a botched merger with Nextel overseen by his predecessor, Hesse was charged with stanching Sprint’s customer bleed. His plans to restore the carrier’s luster may well have repercussions across the whole of the mobile industry.
Sprint is the only American carrier with a substantial investment in Mobile WiMAX, a service it dubbed Xohm (pronounced “zome”). “What Xohm will do is give us a two-year-plus head start on fourth generation [wireless],” Hesse said. The company recently agreed to combine its WiMAX wireless broadband business with Clearwire, targeting a network deployment that will cover between 120 million and 140 million people in the U.S. by the end of 2010. Intel, along with Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks, have invested a combined $3.2 billion into the new company. Sprint will have a 51 percent stake in the joint venture.
In the short term, Hesse is optimistic about Sprint’s present mobile broadband offerings. “We offer the fastest speeds available on the largest wireless broadband network,” Hesse said of the company’s EV-DO Rev. A network. “We’re the leader in 3G, and we’re going to extend that lead when we launch 4G,” he said, adding that Xohm will enable throughput of up to 2 to 4 megabits per second.
Assuming the launch doesn’t slip any further, WiMAX will enable a fundamentally different kind of relationship between the customer and carrier. Rather than focusing on selling WiMAX-enabled handsets, Hesse expects many consumer devices to feature embedded WiMAX chips. “So when you go to the store and buy a new PC or camera or whatever, an embedded chip is a great model to have, where a customer can just sign up for service,” he said.
Rather than manage every level of the experience, from device hardware to software applications to the network, Sprint is saying: Go ahead and buy whatever you want, and we’ll let you connect to the Internet and do anything. “A lot of developers and companies are joining the WiMAX ecosystem with us because of its open nature, and they’re concerned that LTE, the other 4G standard coming later, will continue to be a walled garden that carriers control,” Hesse said.
Hesse also led Sprint through a landmark period of price-structure change in the industry, with all the major carriers suddenly offering some variety of flat-rate pricing plan. But Sprint went further than the rest by including data in its Simply Everything plan, which may shape where the industry as a whole is going. “Look at Simply Everything and what the others have offered, which is very ’90s, if you will, with just unlimited talking,” Hesse noted, adding that he expects Sprint’s unlimited plan to encourage unfettered usage of smart phone functionality that “people today don’t use because it’s too expensive or [the pricing is] too complex.”
Hesse is even attempting to take on the iPhone with the Instinct by Samsung, a touchscreen device that offers not only Rev. A data speeds but a fully customizable favorites menu, haptic feedback, and GPS navigation—all wrapped up in a sleek design that will presumably cost much less than Apple’s iconic device.
With Hesse at the helm, Sprint is the only carrier positioned to make 4G a reality sooner rather than much later—even with the much-publicized delays—and his attitude toward pricing and openness bode very well for mobile data users.
2. Steve Jobs

Position: Cofounder, chairman, and CEO, Apple
Age: 53
Location: Palo Alto, California.
Steve Jobs has presided over an industry-changing period at Apple. “When you look over the last twelve months or so at Apple, what impresses me is their ability to continue to evolve their existing product lines as they introduce significant new things like the iPhone,” said David Carnevale, vice president of multimedia content and distribution at iSuppli. “If you look across the entire Apple product roadmap, it’s one the most impressive I’ve seen in my twenty-plus years in high tech.”
Carnevale pointed to the iPhone, the MacBook Air, and the continually revised iPod line as evidence of Apple’s prolific creativity. And far more than is typical, Jobs’ leadership is inextricably tied to the culture of risk and innovation that has seen the company change how we perceive mobile technology. “With these creative bold strokes, it’s impossible to separate Apple the company from Steve Jobs the man,” said Carnevale.
The iPhone broke new ground the Apple way: it’s not what it does, but how it does it. “Apple focuses on making things easy,” said Carnevale. “If it’s easy, people will do it more.” In the iPhone’s case, this means realizing the promise of the smart phone as a mobile data device on a wide consumer scale.
Critics have hammered the iPhone for its 3G-lessness, but according to Jobs the iPhone accounts for a whopping 71 percent of U.S. mobile-browser usage. And according to Canalys, the iPhone outsold all Windows Mobile devices combined in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, trailing only RIM’s venerable BlackBerry line. Who knows how much those numbers might go up when the rumored 3G version goes on sale, possibly as early as this summer.
And while some have disparaged the MacBook Air for its lack of an optical drive and removable battery, the notebook’s brilliant display and striking profile is light-years ahead of most other notebook designs. “I can’t think of another company that would have taken a chance on a product like the MacBook Air,” said Carnevale. With Jobs at the helm, we expect the excitement to continue.
3. Andy Rubin

Position: Director of mobile platforms, Google
Age: 45
Location: Los Altos Hills, Calif.
The gPhone is dead! Long live the gPhone! It turned out that the much-rumored “device” was actually a mobile operating system called Android, created by Andy Rubin’s eponymous company, which was quietly purchased by Google in 2005. With Android finally out in the open, it’s clear that Rubin is playing a major role in shaping Google’s efforts to establish a beachhead in mobile devices.
Rubin’s big idea is an open-source mobile operating system that will give developers full access to the guts of a device. It’s more open than closed-source competitors like Nokia’s S60 and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile because it lets developers tinker with virtually any aspect of the software rather than being limited to functionality exposed by restrictive programming interfaces.
Google will give Android to handset makers for free, which could prove critical to its success. “There’s a large opportunity in the North American market for what Google is trying to do,” said Gartner analyst Hugues De La Vergne. “There’s no dominant low-cost consumer [mobile] OS in this region.” But Rubin’s brainchild could provide a huge payoff for Google: It would be in on the ground floor of the device, giving the company a springboard from which to influence all aspects of the mobile environment. “They can have much more say in the mobile user experience,” said analyst Bonny Joy of Strategy Analytics.
As Rubin leads Google’s charge into mobile territory, all signs point to a battle that will spur exciting efforts from the major mobile players for supremacy on the handset. Android partners initially included many of the major handset makers, including HTC, Motorola, and Samsung, but only the two smaller U.S. carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile.
However, AT&T mobility president and CEO Ralph de la Vega recently said that he had met with Google and that the provider was warming up to the OS because he had been reassured that AT&T’s applications and features will be able to run on the devices. Even if Verizon Wireless doesn’t embrace Android, Rubin’s software could very well redefine the smart phone and the way we access the Web on the go.
4. James Laurence Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis

Positions: Co-CEOs, RIM
Ages: 47 and 47
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Dynamic duo Lazaridis and Balsillie pushed RIM to better-than-expected subscription numbers earlier this year. The BlackBerry, which began as a badge of importance in Washington, D.C., and on Wall Street, then spread through boardrooms and down to the rank-and-file, is now finding space in consumer pockets and expanding the horizons for the wider penetration of smart phones in general.
“They’ve done an excellent job of very quickly going into the consumer market, not only with plans, but with device,” said analyst Barry Gilbert of Strategic Analytics, who cited the BlackBerry Pearl and Curve as handsets that are helping RIM gain traction outside the enterprise. A ChangeWave survey in January showed that among consumers thinking about buying a phone within six months, RIM handsets barely lagged behind the iPhone as objects of future affection.
The devotion that RIM’s devices and services inspire has survived some high-profile outages in the past year. “When the service goes down, people go nuts, but they don’t leave,” saiid independent analyst Jeff Kagan, also noting that RIM was successfully spreading the addiction to consumers.
RIM also opened its APIs to encourage third-party developers to create applications for the OS, feeding the trend toward more open platforms. “It’s a good direction to go in because there’s a ton of applications that can be developed,” said Gilbert.
Both riding and fueling the wider gravitation toward smart phones, Balsillie and Lazaridis are key players in shaping the mobile future. On the horizon is the highly anticipated (but only rumored as of press time) 9000 series, which many believe will include a total interface overhaul, high-speed HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, and a striking new design to woo even more consumers away from the iPhone and other smart devices.

5. Jonney Shih

Position: Chairman, ASUSTeK Computer
Age: 56
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
ASUS has long been known overseas for its compelling designs, top-notch service, and affordable laptops, but the company made its biggest mark in the United States late last year with its ground-breaking Eee PC. Jonney Shih, chairman and former CEO of the 100,000-
employee, Taipei-based company, initiated the Eee PC concept in response to today’s digital convergence. Shih wanted to create a product that would enable unsophisticated PC users (think elderly and children), as well as more advanced users, to have easy access to the Internet and digital media.
To put the Eee PC in perspective, the company has sold over 1 million units since November 2007 and projects its Eee PC sales to exceed Apple’s total notebook sales this year. The Eee PC line has already branched out from its easy-to-use, tabbed, Linux interface to Windows XP, and you’ll be seeing an 8.9-inch system with both Linux and Windows hitting the market around the time you read this. The company is also employing multi-touch technology and is extending the brand to desktops.
While Shih admits he didn’t know how much impact the Eee PC would have on the computing industry, the fact that major players, including HP, have introduced their own low-cost mini-notebooks is a key indicator that ASUS’ innovation—and Shih specifically—are forces to be reckoned with. Under Shih’s direction and influence, chances are high that his ideas will churn out products that end up in your home, office, or school in the coming year.
6. Mark Hurd

Position: President, chairman and CEO, HP
Age: 52
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
In the three years since Mark Hurd took the reins as HP’s CEO, after the dismissal of his predecessor Carleton S. Fiorina, the notebook giant has become one of the top-ranking and top money-making technology companies in the world: HP’s revenues totaled over $107 billion in the last four fiscal quarters.
It should come as no surprise. As CEO and president of NCR, a midwestern company that manufactured retail scanning systems and ATMs, Hurd quickly earned a reputation as a miracle worker by turning around the lagging company (stocks increased by 300 percent from $9 per share) in just two years time. Hurd applied the same techniques during his tenure at HP that he used at NCR: slashing costs, reducing staff, and mandating pay cuts while focusing the company’s energies on sales.
Under Hurd, HP changed the game as the company became one of the first PC manufacturers to push stylish, eye-catching devices with its slick Imprint design—and the competition quickly followed suit, much to the delight of consumers worldwide. Hurd has also pushed HP to be the first name-brand PC maker to enter the surging low-cost mini-notebook market with its new Mini-Note (see full review on p. 80). And while it’s pricier than the compeition, it’s slicker design, full-size keyboard, and configurability options redefine the fledgling category.
7. Doug Morris

Positions: Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group
Age: 69
Location: New York, N.Y.
All-you-can-eat subscription services were once considered to be a panacea for the struggling music business, but up until now very few consumers have embraced the idea of “renting” their tunes. Doug Morris’ idea? Give it away—temporarily. “Doug wanted to create a concept whereby people could access all the music they want for an X amount of time, and when that time is up, have it roll into a subscription,” said our source inside the Universal Music Group.
We say “source” and not a specific name because as of press time UMG was the subject of a Department of Justice inquiry. The reported reason: fear of collusion on pricing, especially since all of the other major labels are supposedly already on board. (Some have said Total Music would cost as little as $5 per month—$10 less than Rhapsody to Go—but our source denied that figure.)
Also on board is Nokia. The cell phone giant’s new Comes with Music service for cell phones, launching later this year in Europe, is based on Total Music. But in this case customers will be able to hold onto their content indefinitely, even after the year-long all-you-can-eat download party is over. They can also transfer the tunes to a new Nokia phone, even though they’ll be locked down by DRM.
Now you know why Apple is nervous and why there are rumors that the company is trying to negotiate a Comes with Music–like service for the iPod.
8. Lowell McAdam

Position: President and CEO, Verizon Wireless
Age: 53
Location: Basking Ridge, N.J.
McAdam has put Verizon Wireless on a course to support non-Verizon devices and applications, a major departure for the historically closed carrier. “If we move out five or ten years, we should be able to take our phone and change from carrier to carrier,” said independent analyst Jeff Kagan. “Verizon started that ball rolling. As soon as they said it, all the carriers jumped in and said they were doing the same thing.”
GSM networks (like AT&T and T-Mobile) are already somewhat open by design, but Verizon’s announcement still has weight. “In terms of leadership, this announcement is an important step because it creates some pressure on the industry to open up the mobile Internet,” said IDC analyst Karsten Weide.
McAdam also led Verizon Wireless to be the first national carrier with an “unlimited” plan, with AT&T and T-Mobile announcing similar plans on the same day and Sprint’s version following a week later. “Sprint offers a more comprehensive plan than Verizon, but the fact that [Verizon] came out ahead of time spoiled the party for Sprint a little,” Gartner analyst Tole Heart suggested.
“It changed the wireless world,” Kagan said. “Could you say it was Verizon who started it? Or was it Dan Hesse [Sprint’s CEO, who had been quoted considering the move earlier]? I don’t know . . . but Verizon was first.”
Another far-reaching decision was to use LTE technology for 4G, effectively abandoning the carrier’s CDMA heritage and bringing it more in line with the rest of the world. “There are lots of advantages,” Heart said, citing greater handset selection, global roaming, and lower equipment costs among them.
McAdam will be leveraging Verizon Wireless’ recent $9.36 billion 700-MHz auction bounty to roll out the network beginning in 2010, which the company has said will bring “a tidal wave of innovation” to the wireless space.
9. Paul S. Otellini

Position: President and CEO, Intel
Age: 57
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
The CEO of the world’s largest chip-maker may have once considered revising the “Intel Inside” slogan, but it’s never been more apt. Since refocusing in 2006, Intel has won back market share from rival AMD and even picked up Apple’s business, shrinking its Core 2 Duo chip by 60 percent for the MacBook Air.
It’s a prelude to Intel’s new strategy, targeting the mini-notebook market, whose $100 to $299 price range is expected to fuel sales of nearly 60 million units in 2011. Intel has already won a convert in ASUS, which plans to switch to a 45-nm processor in its popular Eee PC. Then there’s Centrino 2, available in June, which will combine Intel’s 45-nanometer processor with a whole new chipset with three times the graphics performance and baked-in support for Mobile WiMAX. There has been plenty of speculation that Intel will throw $2 billion into Sprint’s Xohm Mobile WiMAX network—to ensure that its own investment into mobile broadband chips wasn’t for naught.
Although Otellini warned in early March that Intel would take a hit from the rapidly dropping prices of flash memory, at the same time the company is entering the solid state drive business, planning to introduce 80GB and 160GB models by mid-year. So 2008 could be the year that Intel puts serious pressure not only on AMD but also on leading memory manufacturers, including Samrung, and graphics powerhouses such as Nvidia.
10. Joe Cruz

Position: Senior vice president and CTO, Aircell
Age: Declined to say
Location: Itasca, Ill.
Aircell recruited Cruz, one of the founders of Airfone, to jumpstart its in-flight broadband business. Five years later, the company is rolling out service through American Airlines and Virgin America. Where other companies have failed, Aircell might succeed: It’s the first service to win support from a domestic carrier, and because it uses cellular—not satellite—technology, users pay just $12.95 to surf the Web on a transcontinental flight, compared with as much as $30 for the discontinued Boeing Connexion service.
Over the next year, Cruz wants to see more airlines adopt the technology and offer it on more flights. More important, he expects in-flight broadband to change the way we work—and the way we play. “You’re on your way to Disney World and you want to start booking reservations to restaurants,” Cruz said. “I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t have a need.”

11. Peter Chou

Position: Cofounder and CEO, HTC
Age: 51
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

12. Nicholas Negroponte
Position: Founder and chairman, One Laptop
Per Child
Age: 64
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
13. Jeff Omelchuck
Position: Executive director, EPEAT; founder and director, Green Electronics Council
Age: 49
Location: Portland, Ore.

14. Jon Rubinstein

Position: Executive chairman, Palm
Age: 51
Location: Sunnyvale, Calif.

15. Shantanu Narayen

Position: President and CEO, Adobe
Age: 44
Location: San Jose, Calif.

16. Kevin Martin

Position: Chairman, FCC
Age: 41
Location: Washington, D.C.

17. Anssi Vanjoki

Position: Executive vice president of new markets and general manager of multimedia, Nokia
Age: 52
Location: Helsinki, Finland

18. Marissa Mayer

Position: Vice president of search products and user experience, Google
Age: 32
Location: Mountain View, Calif.

19. David Hill

Position: Chief designer, Lenovo
Age: 50
Location: Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

20. Mike Schroepfer

Position: Vice president of engineering, Mozilla
Age: 33
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.

21. Blake Krikorian

Position: Cofounder, CEO, and chairman, Sling Media
Age: 40
Location: San Mateo, Calif.

22. John Bicket and Sanjit Biswas

Positions: Cofounders and CTO (Bicket) and CEO (Biswas), Meraki
Ages: 26 and 28
Location: Mountain View, Calif.

23. Cliff Pemble

Position: President and COO, Garmin
Age: 42
Location: Kansas City, Mo.

24. Matt Zimmerman

Positions: CTO, Canonical; chairman, Ubuntu Technical Board
Age: 29
Location: London

25. Jon Lech Johansen

Position: Cofounder, doubleTwist
Age: 24
Location: San Francisco, Calif.