Business 2.0’s 50 People Who Matter: Steve Jobs #5; Top 10 Who Don’t Matter: Microsoft’s Ballmer
Monday, June 26, 2006 - 12:45 PM EST
Business 2.0 chronicles "50 People Who Matter" and ranks Apple CEO Steve Jobs at #5:
Why He Matters: Easily the greatest marketer since P.T. Barnum, Jobs has also become the innovator's muse. Is there anyone in American business today whose style, creativity, and pugnacious genius are more celebrated? Which brings us back to the question that drives this list: What's he done for us lately? Yes, yes, iPods, iTunes, creating a whole industry -- we already take that for granted. And the heretical move to the dual-core, Windows-running Intel chip. Fine, sweet, very cool -- and long overdue. But let's separate the reality from the distortion field: 2005 was a record year ... for Wintel PCs! An astounding 203 million Windows-running machines were shipped last year, and Windows market share has held steady at 94 percent since 1996. During the same decade, Mac's share slipped from 5.2 percent to 2.3 percent. Of course, Apple's influence has always far exceeded its modest scale, so all we're saying is ... bring on the next big innovation. Mobile phones? Home media centers? iHovercrafts? Take your pick, but we're ready for more.
For the record: 1. You! - The consumer as creator, 2. Sergey Brin and Larry Page - Co-founders, Google, 3. Paul Jacobs - CEO, Qualcomm, 4. Rupert Murdoch - CEO, News Corp.
Full article here.
Business 2.0 is also running a companion piece, "10 People Who Don't Matter" (no particular order), with everyone's favorite dancing monkeyboy, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, on the list:
Let's face it: The head of the world's biggest software company is a lame duck. Sure, Microsoft's board still backs Ballmer as CEO, and he still has a core of loyal executives within the company. But with longtime partner Bill Gates stepping away from his day-to-day role to focus on saving the world, and Ray Ozzie playing the role of resident visionary, the CEO job just won't be as much fun. And with employees and investors still in a froth over the company's low share price, it will be increasingly tempting for Ballmer to follow Bill's lead, and make boosting the shares someone else's problem.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Wingsy" for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: What they obviously haven't figured out yet is that "the next big innovation" from Jobs' Apple is the Macintosh. Boy, they're sure going to be surprised when they figure it out!
Oh yeah, what's the over/under on Ballmer's departure? 12 months? 18 months max?
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Related article:
What happens when you combine clips of Young Frankenstein and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer? - June 08, 2006
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Ballmer looks like Ray Romano's Dad on the show...