We have all heard of Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller but which business leaders will be in our children’s history books? Here are some of the most successful business leaders of the 21st century who are likely to go down in history.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs’ roller coaster of success mirrors that of a Greek drama. Having founded Apple in his basement, creating revolutionary products (the first computers with graphic user interfaces and a mice) only to find himself ousted as CEO two decades later. Jobs would return to save Apple from near bankruptcy and bring the word incredibly influential products such as the iPod, iPhone, and Mac OS. Countless other companies have made fortunes imitating the ideas of Steve Jobs and there are now billion-dollar sub industries based around the products he created. Other business leaders such as Charles Phillips (previously president of Oracle, Charles Phillips is now Infor’s CEO) will continue to be compared to Steve Jobs. There is no doubt that Steve jobs is one of the most successful business leaders of the 21st century and we have yet to see the full effect of his legacy.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a revolutionary thinker whose ideas are beginning to take off (literarily!) He is CEO of SpaceX, a private space exploration company which hopes to send a man to Mars in the coming decade. While completing the first manned mission to Mars will no doubt cement Musk in history, his other successful ventures have already made him a household name. Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla motors a revolutionary electric car manufacturer. They began producing high-end luxury electric sports cars but now they are set to create a more affordable consumer model. If these electric cars catch on it could have a major impact on the environment. Musk also has been selling unique high storage batteries (the same ones used in his cars) that allow people to store electric in their home, which can open the door for many green friendly home projects. Elon Musk’s also owns SolarCity, a solar farm providing green electricity to southern California. Elon Musk seems like the Willy Wonka of high-tech and green-tech. While Musk’s ventures diversify, his focus on green energy and innovation make him one of the most successful business leaders of the 21st century and we can’t wait to see what he has in store next.
The 21st century has just begun and these two business leaders have already left their marks. But with more than 80 years left to go, who knows who else will be on this list. What other business leaders will influence the way we live in such a major way that will be called the most successful business leaders of the 21st century. These leaders not only have made themselves and their teams wealthy, their ambitions have gone beyond simply building wealth, they have left the world better than they found it, they have given consumers products and opportunities that no one else has.