Business magnate and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford is credited to have made the automobile an accessible conveyance for Americans in the 20th century. Following the success of his company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He also became known for his pacifism during the first years of World War I.
Widely recognized as one of the two important pioneers of the personal computer revolution, Steve Wozniak is credited with co-founding Apple Inc. along with Steve Jobs. Not surprisingly, he has been described as one of the men that changed the course of history through technology. Apart from being a programmer and technology entrepreneur, Steve Wozniak is also a well-known philanthropist.
Satya Nadella is an Indian-American business executive, currently serving as the chief executive officer of Microsoft. Since he became CEO, the company has seen a 27% annual growth rate. Born in India to a Telugu-speaking family, Nadella serves as an inspiration to millions of Indians who nurse 'The American Dream'.
The founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Martha Stewart has found success with several business ventures. She is also the publisher of a magazine called Martha Stewart Living and has written many bestselling books. Although she was convicted of charges pertaining to the ImClone stock trading case, she made a comeback and became chairwoman of her company.
David Chang revolutionized the culinary world with his brand Momofuku, which owns several noodle bars across the world, including a 2-Michelin-star restaurant. He has produced the Netflix shows Ugly Delicious and Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Several issues of his food magazine Lucky Peach have been NYT bestsellers.
Entrepreneur, television personality and media proprietor Mark Cuban is a prolific inventor. He is a named inventor of 11 patent families. He displayed an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age and started many business ventures while still in college. A sports fan, he is the owner of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Dallas Mavericks.
Jennifer Flavin is a former American model and wife of famous actor Sylvester Stallone. A successful model during the late-80s and early-90s, Jennifer Flavin took her popularity to another level after marrying Stallone. She now co-owns a company called Serious Skin Care where she plays an influential role.
Media mogul Chad Hurley is a co-founder and former CEO of the video-sharing websites, YouTube and MixBit. Interested in computers and electronic media since high school, he co-founded YouTube with Steve Chen and Jawed Karim in 2005. The following year, the trio sold YouTube to Google Inc. Hurley is also a part-owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
Edmond James de Rothschild was a French businessman with deep connections to the Rothschild banking family. He was a strong supporter of Zionism and donated significant amounts that went towards the establishment of the State of Israel. He also provided funds for the foundation of the Friends of the French National Museum of Natural History Society.
Travis Kalanick is an American businessman. He is credited with founding Red Swoosh, a content delivery network, and Uber, a technology company. He resigned as the CEO of Uber in 2017 when the company was criticized for several unethical practices, including sexual harassment.
Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty was named to the World's Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes in 2018. She led IBM through its conversion to a leading data company. The Northwestern University alumna has also earned the Edison Achievement Award. She became part of Time 100 in 2012.
Linus Sebastian is a Canadian YouTube personality whose technology channel Linus Tech Tips is ranked highly among Google's most preferred advertising channels for the technology category on YouTube. Also an entrepreneur, Sebastian owns a video sharing platform called Floatplane Media. Sebastian is also credited with founding Linus Media Group for which he has been serving as the CEO since 2013.
Masayoshi Son is a Japanese technology entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. He is credited with founding SoftBank, a popular Japanese holding company, for which he also serves as the chief executive officer. One of the richest men in Japan, Son has pledged to donate $120 million to support the victims affected by the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku.
Businessman Lamar Hunt was a major promoter of American football, soccer, tennis, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States. He was the principal founder of the Major League Soccer (MLS) and American Football League (AFL). He was also the co-founder of World Championship Tennis. In 1982, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Computer-game developer John Carmack introduced pioneering innovations in the 3-D game arena. He specializes in first-person shooter games, such as Quake and Doom. The id Software founder had spent a year in a juvenile home and had later dropped out of university to become a freelance programmer.
After losing his parents at 10, Louis Vuitton ran away to Paris, where he gained repute as a box-maker/packer, and was even hired by Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie de Montijo. He then founded the iconic French fashion and luxury goods brand Louis Vuitton, which now operates in 50 countries.
Henri Fayol was a French mining engineer, author, mining executive, and director of mines. He is credited with developing a theory of business administration called Fayolism. Along with Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henri Fayol is credited with founding modern management methods.
Business magnate Azim Premji revolutionized the Indian software industry with Wipro Limited. Twice listed to Time 100, he transformed his vegetable oil and soap manufacturing company to a leading IT solutions brand, through marked diversification. He owns a non-profit foundation and is the first Indian to join The Giving Pledge.
One of 12 children of Polish immigrants, Jack L Warner, along with three of his brothers, formed the iconic production house Warner Bros. Apart from producing the first talkie, The Jazz Singer, and iconic films such as Casablanca, they also launched the careers of the who’s who of Hollywood.
Elisabeth Murdoch is an Australian-born media executive best known for founding the UK-based TV production company Shine Group in 2001. She is also known as the daughter of popular multi-billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch. In 2013, Elisabeth Murdoch was named UK’s fifth most powerful woman by Woman's Hour.
Stan Kroenke is an American businessman. Kroenke has been playing a key role in the sporting world as he owns Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the holding company of several sporting clubs, such as Arsenal Football Club, The Denver Nuggets, The Los Angeles Rams, The Colorado Avalanche, The Colorado Mammoth, and The Colorado Rapids.
Mark Thatcher is the son of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher. For the major part of his career as a businessman, Thatcher was accused of using his mother's position to gain an upper hand, especially in the Al-Yamamah arms deal. In 2005, he was convicted for funding the 2004 Wonga Coup in South Africa.
Sheldon Adelson is an American investor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is credited with founding a casino and resort company called Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which owns several resorts, including The Palazzo and The Venetian. He also owns a couple of Israeli newspapers. Also a well-known philanthropist, Adelson was described in 2016 as one of the men positively influencing Jewish life.
Apart from being a former Olympic rower, Cameron Winklevoss is also a successful entrepreneur and, along with his twin brother, Tyler Winklevoss, has established the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini. The twins once accused Mark Zuckerberg, their fellow Harvard alum, of stealing their idea of ConnectU, a social networking platform.