OSDL)
With nearly two decades of UNIX and Linux experience, Witham is poised to head up some significant projects with far-reaching implications as the director of the Open Systems Development Lab.
79. Anne Thomas-Manes (Director of Marketing Innovation, Sun Microsystems Inc.)
With her uncanny ability to apply technology to create new solutions, Thomas-Manes is working to raise Sun's Service-Driven Network to new heights.
80. Jim Flyzik (Deputy Assistant Secretary & CIO, U.S. Department of Treasury)
Recent years have seen some changes in the way the IRS works, especially for those who've been able to electronically file their taxes. Flyzik has been working to help modernize the government and agencies like the IRS and Customs Service.
81. Thomas Pennfield Jackson (U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)
Pennfield Jackson's harsh ruling on Microsoft's anti-competitive practices faces possible dismissal now in the appellate court, but he remains a hero for legions of Gates-bashers in their fight against the software Goliath.
82. Ned Barnholt (President & CEO, Agilent Technologies Inc.)
As head of the HP spin-off, Barnholt has continued to bring the brand to market (especially in telecommunications), despite industry turndowns and having to make earnings, salary and staff cuts.
83. Christos Cotsakos (Chairman & CEO, E*TRADE Securities Inc.)
In a time when Web portals seem destined to be the next big thing, Cotsakos plans to make E*TRADE a one-stop financial portal where users can invest, insure, shop, get financial news and bank. Those ambitious plans should help E*TRADE—and Cotsakos—survive the current economic climate.
84. Jeff Bezos (Chairman & CEO, Amazon.com Inc.)
Nothing seems to daunt Jeff Bezos—market downturns, soft sales, analyst criticism. He simply continues to build Amazon.com's customer base, strengthen product offerings and prove that the e-tailer isn't dead.
85. Ted Waitt (Co-founder, Chairman & CEO, Gateway Inc.)
Waitt says that Gateway is an "IT for the masses." His novel approach of building a product to the customer's specifications is giving the big players a run for their money—and services.
86. Nancy Peretsman (Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Allen & Company)
The investment banker has the ear of Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Barry Diller, among others.
87. Ransom Love (President & CEO, Caldera International Inc.)
With its purchase of SCO, Caldera leads the good fight against Microsoft with Linux as an alternative—with Love at the helm.
88. Howard Stringer (Chairman & CEO, Sony Corporation of America; President, Sony Broadband Entertainment)
With a history in television and telecommunications, Stringer has worked to combine business, technology and entertainment, with the goal of making Sony products the nerve center of every home. Think PS2.
89. John Seely Brown (Corporate Vice President & Chief Scientist, Xerox Corp.; Chief Innovation Officer, 12 Entrepreneuring Inc.)
Brown's work with organizational learning and ethnographies of the workplace has changed the way we think and operate.
90. Wayne Rickard (Head of the Technical Council, Storage Networking Industry Association; Senior Vice President & CTO, Gadzoox Networks Inc.)
Bringing over 20 years of networking architecture to the table, Rickard now sets the course for the SNIA.
91. Tim O'Reilly (Founder & President, O'Reilly & Associates Inc.)
His publishing house is infamous for its highly opinionated and influential articles on the O'Reilly Network. A peer-to-peer conference earlier this year drew lots of buzz, partly for the simple fact that Tim O'Reilly was putting it on.
92. Bob Pittman (President & COO, AOL Time Warner Inc.)
With its acquisition of media conglomerate Time Warner, ISP heavyweight AOL is hoping to redefine the concept of the ISP.
93. Michael Bloomberg (Founder & CEO, Bloomberg Associates LP)
If you're looking for success, you need Bloomberg's financial news and data—and analysis of that data—to do the job right.
94. Jerry Yang (Co-founder & Director, Yahoo! Inc.)
Although its stock prices have taken a beating as of late (but whose stock hasn't?), Yahoo! is striking back with a $500 million initiative and a new Web site that can run television-style ads instead of the usual banner ads.
95. Kevin Mitnick (Computer Hacker)
Upon his release from prison last year, the famous hacker and IT folk hero is in high demand on the speaking circuit.
96. Jerry Parrick (CEO & Founder, Yipes! Communications Inc.)
Jerry and the Yipes! gang offer service provider clients mega-bandwidth and at a low cost! Beat that!
97. Darien Dash (Chairman & CEO, DME Interactive Holdings Inc.)
DMEhas been working to create an online presence for African-American and Hispanic businesses. Last year, DMEand HPagreed to co-brand solutions and sell them to the urban market, bringing a new focus to the face of IT.
98. William T. Coleman III (Founder, Chairman, Director & CEO, BEA Systems Inc.)
With nearly three decades of experience behind him, including various management positions with Sun, Coleman brings a strong emphasis on software development to the table.
99. Hackers like David L. Smith (the "Melissa" virus) and Onel de Guzman (the "I Love You" virus) are keeping companies big and small on their heels, prompting a focus on better security.
100. A Federal CIO?
Know anyone with an IT budget that will increase this year, despite the economic downturn? Yep, the federal government has a $40 billion IT budget. There's been talk for some time of a high-level Chief Information Officer, a hugely influential position that would lend credibility to the idea of including IT leaders in boardrooms everywhere. Might it happen this year?
The Top Five IT Leaders
Leaders No. 6-10
Leaders No. 11-20
Leaders No. 21-30
Leaders No. 31-40
Leaders No. 41-50
Leaders No. 51-75