1.

Steve Jobs

Chairman and CEO, Apple During the first two decades of his remarkable 30-year career, the Apple Inc. founder twice altered the direction of the computer industry. In 1977 the Apple II kicked off the PC era, and the graphical user interface launched by Macintosh in 1984 has been aped by every other computer since. Along the way Jobs conceived of "desktop publishing," gave the world the laser printer, and pioneered personal computer networks. As a side gig he bankrolled Pixar, which fostered the development of the technology and a brand-new business model for creating computer-animated feature films. Since returning to Apple in 1997, he has changed the dynamics of consumer electronics with the iPod, and persuaded the music industry, the television networks, and Hollywood to distribute their wares with the iTunes Music Store. With his hugely successful Apple Stores, he gave the big-box boys a lesson in high-margin, high-touch retailing. And this year, at the height of his creative and promotional powers, Jobs orchestrated Apple's entry into the cellular telephone business with the iPhone. That's five industries that Jobs has upended - computers, Hollywood, music, retailing, and wireless phones. At this moment, no one has more influence over a broader swath of business than Jobs. --Brent Schlender

1) Carlos Slim Helu

Mexican tycoon Carlo Slim Helu dethroned Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to claim the Worlds no. 1 Billionaire title. Gates has held the No. 1 spot for as many as 14 times in the past 15 years. According to Forbes, Slims fortune swelled to an estimated $53.5 billion, up $18.5 billion in 12 months. Shares of America Movil, of which he owns a 23-billion-dollar stake, went up by as much as 35% during the year. Born to a Lebanese immigrant father, Slim learned his business acumen at an early age. Slim studied civil engineering and later built up the telephone monopoly Telmex after acquiring it from the government in 1990. The softly-spoken billionaire last month received authorisation to merge three of his telecommunications companies to form a regional giant, with 250 million customers in 18 countries. Slim, a widower with six children, has handed over the daily operations of his companies to his three sons and business partners. A baseball fanatic, Slim is also well-known for his philanthropy. 2) Bill Gates

With a net worth of $53 billion, worlds second richest man is software czar Bill Gates. Fiftyfour-year old Gates net worth went up by $13 billion during the last year as Microsoft shares rose almost 50%. According to Forbes, more than 60% of his fortune come from outside Microsoft, which includes investments from Four Seasons hotels, Televisa and Auto Nation. In 2009, Gates topped the Forbes The Worlds billionaires list, beating investor Warren Buffett. A Harvard College dropout, Gates topped the Billionaires list for past 15 years in a row (from 1993 to 2007). In 2008, he held the second spot. Born on October 28, 1955, Gates resigned as Microsoft chairman in 2008 to take up a full-time philanthropic role in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 3) Lawrence Ellison

Worlds sixth richest person and technology industrys third riches person is Oracle co-founder and CEO Lawrence Joseph Ellison, popularly known as Larry Ellison. With a net worth of $28 billion, Ellison slipped two ranks down this year from 4th position last year. The company that recently closed the $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems, last year saw its share up almost 70%. In the past five years, Oracle has made as many as 57 acquisitions, including BEA Systems (bought for $8.5 billion in 2008). The company also invested $125 million in Web software outfit Netsuite. Sixty-five-year-old Ellison started Oracle Corp in 1977. Two years younger to arch rival Microsoft corp, Oracle went public a day before Microsoft in 1986. A licensed pilot, Ellison is said to own several unusual aircrafts. Known for his flamboyant lifestyle, Ellison has got a leisure boat built for himself. Chicago native studied physics at University of Chicago, but didnt complete his graduation. 4) Sergey Brin & Larry Page At 24th spot on Forbes billionaires list are Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page with a net worth of $17.5 billion each. Last year saw Googles fortune going up by $5.5 billion with shares of the search giant soaring 70%. The company who is gung ho on its open source platform Android recently unveiled its first branded smartphone Nexus One. Sergey Brin and Larry Page started Google in 1998 from a friends garage. A native of Moscow, Brin, now a US citizen, did his Bachelors of Science degree with honors in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland at College Park. While following in his

fathers footsteps in academics, Larry went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from University of Michigan. Page was Googles founding CEO and grew the company to more than 200 employees and profitability before moving into his role as president, products in April 2001. Today, the two continue to share the responsibility of Googles day-today operations with CEO Eric Schmidt. Sergeys research interests include search engines, information extraction from unstructured sources and datamining of large text collections and scientific data. 5) Azim Premji

At No. 28 on the worlds richest list is the chairman of the Indias third largest software company Wipro, Azim Premji. Sixty-four-year old Premji heads $5.5 billion (revenues) Wipro, and has a personal net worth of $17 billion. In its last quarter (Q3), Wipro reported a 19% rise in profit, and projected growth as the global economic recovery boosts demand for outsourcing. In Forbes 2009 list, Premji stood at No. 83, with a net worth of $5.7 billion. A graduate in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, US, Premji took over the Wipro mantle at the young age of 21, after the sudden demise of his father in 1966. Under his leadership, the fledgling $2 million-hydrogenated cooking fat company has today grown into Indias thirdlargest software company. 6) Steven Ballmer

The second Microsoftie on the Forbes Billionaires list is Microsoft CEO Steven A Ballmer. Ballmer ranks at No. 33 with a net personal net worth estimated to be $14.5 billion. After series of failed attempts to strike a deal with Yahoo, Microsoft recently signed a 10-year deal with the company under which its own search engine Bing becomes the search engine for Microsoft and Yahoo sites. In its last quarter, Microsoft earnings jumped 60%, helped by a rebound in PC sales. A college mate of Bill Gate, Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 and was the first business manager to be hired by Gates. He became CEO in 2000. During his tenure at Microsoft, Ballmer has headed several divisions, including operations, operating systems development and sales and support. Described as ebullient, focused, funny, passionate, sincere, hard-charging and dynamic, Ballmer is said to have imparted his own brand of energetic leadership, vision and spirit at Microsoft over the years. Like his boss, Ballmer too dropped out of Stanford MBA programme to join Gates in 1980. 7) Anil Ambani

Next Desi honcho on the list is Reliance Communications (RCom) head Anil Ambani at No. 36. Slipping two positions from last years ranking, Anils net worth is estimated to be $13.7 billion, up from $10.1 billion in 2009. Last year saw the biggest fall in Anils net worth when he slipped from 6th position to 34th. Anils Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group has interests in telecom, power, infrastructure, financial services and entertainment. Anil did bachelor of Arts/Science graduate from University of Bombay. He later did MBA from the university of Pennsylvania, Wharton School. Paul Allen

Another billionaire from Microsofts camp is Paul Allen ranked at no. 37. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. His net worth is estimated to be $13.5 billion, up $3 billion from $10.5 billion last year. Allen left Microsoft in 1983 after being diagnosed by Hodgkins disease. Microsoft now makes up around 25% of his net worth. Recently, Allen launched software outfit Xiant, whose product Filer helps users keep track of emails in Microsoft Outlook. Fifty-seven-year old Allen also owns two professional sports teams, Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. 9) Michael Dell

Sharing position with Paul Allen at No. 37 is CEO of the worlds second largest PC company, Michael Dell. With a net worth of $13.5 billion, Michael Dell slipped 12 ranks this year. He was ranked an No. 25 in Forbes billionaires list of 2009. In the past six months Dell stock has gone down by nearly 10% and the companys revenue fell by nearly 13% in year ended January 2010. Forty-five-year-old Dell started a company called PCs Limited from a room, while still studying at the University of Texas. The company later became Dell Computer Corporation, followed by Dell Inc in 2003. In 1998, Dell formed MSD Capital and in 1999, he and his wife formed the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, to manage the investments and philanthropic efforts, respectively, of the Dell family. 10) Jeffrey Bezos

Next richest techie in the list is Amazon.com CEO Jeffrey Bezos ranked at No. 43. With a personal net Worth of $12.3 billion, forty-six-year-old Bezos jumped 19 ranks this year. Ranked at no. 62 in 2009, Bezos net worth nearly doubled in the past year from last years $6.8 billion. Amazons stock has jumped almost 100% in the past few months. In 2009, Amazon also acquired online shoe retailer Zappos for $800 million in stock. The company which made headlines with the launch of Kindle digital book reader in 2007, saw its net income up 40% in 2008 as the company debuted Kindle 2. Bezos founded Amazon.com Inc and has been its CEO since May 1996, the Chairman of the Board since 1994, and the President since October 2000. Previously, he served as the President of Amazon from 1994 to June 1999. Bezos served as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Padcom. Before starting Amazon, he worked at the intersection of computer science and finance, helping build hedge funds on Wall Street for DE Shaw & Co. Bezos completed Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University in 1986.

6. Rex Tillerson

Chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobil An oilman down to his boots, Tillerson makes no apologies for running the world's biggest nonstate-run oil company. Exxon Mobil gets high marks for the quality of its operations, and its stock has out-distanced the S&P 500 on Tillerson's watch. He has even made something of a modest PR splash by acknowledging the possibility of global warming, something his prickly predecessor never did. Exxon under Tillerson has learned that it needn't pick a fight in order to throw around its weight. --Jon Birger

8. Jeff Immelt Chairman and CEO, GE General Electric's chief executive is powerful for many reasons, but here's one that's often overlooked: the company's AAA credit rating. Only six U.S. industrial corporations hold that credential, and it gives GE a huge competitive advantage in the finance-related businesses that bring in most of its profit. It also helps the company sell its big-ticket products - jet engines, industrial turbines, CT scanners, locomotives, and so forth - by offering financing that competitors can't beat. Add a century of experience in developing the world's best managers and management practices, and GE becomes a very tough organization to catch up with or oppose. As if running a company like that didn't make him powerful enough, Immelt is also chairman of the Business Council, the group of top-tier CEOs that influences government policy, and on the board of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. --Geoff Colvin

10. A.G. Lafley Chairman and CEO, Procter & Gamble Since taking charge in 2000, when Procter & Gamble was sinking under the weight of too many new products and organizational changes, Lafley has refocused on consumers and rejuvenated core businesses. P&G now boasts 23 billion-dollar brands, including Tide, Crest, Pampers, Gillette, Olay, Pantene, and the latest addition, Gain laundry detergent. By denouncing insularity and demanding innovation in everything that P&G does, this company lifer has pushed P&G toward higher-margin areas like health, beauty, and personal care. The payback: Profits have tripled on his watch, to more than $10 billion on $76.5 billion in revenues. Of course, Lafley has bought some of that growth; the acquisition of Gillette for $54 billion in 2005 was the largest in company history. But it is the record of organic growth - an average of 6% a year - that has made P&G a stock market standout and Lafley a role model for other CEOs. --Patricia Sellers Tell us what you think 11. John Chambers

Chairman and CEO, Cisco "What do you think?" Turning the tables on his questioners is a Chambers trademark, and therein lies a key to the power of Cisco's CEO. The soft-spoken West Virginian has turned listening into the art of making a sale - and few sell better. Everywhere he goes he makes converts to the Internet. Cisco's equipment, far more than any other company's, tells all those digital bits where to go. Without it the world would come to a standstill. At less than $30, the stock is far below its split-adjusted peak of $80 in 2000. But financially Cisco is stronger than ever, and Chambers deserves a lot of the credit. Revenues for fiscal 2007 were $35 billion, up 22%. At $7.3 billion, profits rose 31% - and have climbed almost threefold since 2000. --David Kirkpatrick 13. Lee Scott

CEO, Wal-Mart Why is Lee Scott still on this list? Sales growth at Wal-Mart has stalled; it's embroiled in a classaction employee lawsuit; Scott has led botched forays into fashion and home dcor; and, of course, the company name has become a byword for middlebrow values with a dash of naked capitalism. But he's here because Wal-Mart is still America's biggest company (2006 revenues: $351 billion), and Scott still runs the place. About one of every ten non-auto retail dollars in the U.S. is spent at a Wal- Mart. It is also the nation's biggest energy consumer, its biggest real estate developer, and its biggest non-government employer. More than that, the company may be turning a corner. Healthy profits in its most recent quarter bode well for the holiday, and Scott is pushing a slew of eco-friendly initiatives that are alleviating some of that bad PR. --Matthew Boyle 6. Mark Hurd

Chairman and CEO, Hewlett-Packard When the steely Midwesterner signed on to run Hewlett-Packard in 2005, the company was in the dumps. The board had fired his predecessor, the high-profile Carly Fiorina; morale was low; and the numbers were not looking good. All that has changed. HP is back at the top of its game. In its most recent results, net earnings rose 28% on revenue growth of 15% - and the company is so bullish that it ordered an $8 billion buyback. The Silicon Valley stalwart has overtaken Dell as the leader in the personal computer market and is turning out innovative products, such as the video-conferencing system Halo. Oh, and its stock price has tripled under Hurd, who emerged pretty much unscathed by the boardroom pretexting scandal in 2006. What does the chief executive have to say about all this? Precious little. Hurd, 50, avoids the limelight, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind who is piloting the ship. --Adam Lashinsky

8. Marius Kloppers

CEO, BHP Billiton Talk about being in a hurry: Kloppers took over as chief executive of the world's biggest mining company by market capitalization (some $200 billion) on Oct. 1. One month later he launched a $150 billion takeover bid for rival Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto; the combined entity would be a resources superpower with a larger market cap than Microsoft and higher revenues (some $70 billion combined in 2007) than Dell or Boeing. Mining insiders weren't too surprised by the move. Kloppers, a 45-year-old vegetarian, has a reputation as an aggressive executive with superior intellectual bandwidth. BHP produces, in vast quantities, industrial staples like iron ore, copper, coal, nickel, uranium, oil, gas, and aluminum. That makes K loppers a crucial middleman in the global economy. --Brian O'Keefe

0. Carlos Slim

Chair, TelMex and Carso Foundation Slim's companies help Latin America work. His Amrica Mvil wireless service operates in 16 countries and provides phone service to more than 137 million customers. In his home country, Mexico, Slim's TelMex controls more than 90% of the phone connections. His companies build roads and erect oil platforms, his banks loan money to businesses and consumers alike, and he even sells knickknacks through his Sanborn's retail chain. The son of a Lebanese immigrant, Slim, 67, has a personal fortune of about $59 billion, making him the world's richest man; Slim-controlled companies make up one-third of the $422 billion Mexican stock exchange - a position of unique dominance. It is all but impossible for the average Mexican to function without interacting with a Slim-controlled company in some way every day. Slim shrugs off accusations he is a monopolist or an oligarch. With family members installed at various Slim companies, the billionaire is spending more time giving away some of his fortune. -Step

23. Ratan Tata

Chairman, Tata Group As head of one of India's most venerated family businesses, Tata, 69, has unique stature. The Tata Group, which is one of India's largest conglomerates, includes India's largest software house, one of its most prestigious hotel chains (the Taj), and sprawling steelmaking operations, as well as leading players in consulting, wireless, and cable services. Since taking over in 1991, Tata has made numerous big-ticket deals. But his heart is set on a project closer to home: creating a $2,500 car that middle-class Indians can buy. --Clay Chandler Tell us what you think