No. 30 Donald E Knuth, academic and author
Last year's position: 30
Though hardly a household name, Donald E Knuth makes the Agenda Setters list for the third year in a row. The academic is singled out once again for his influence on software development and for the fresh relevance his work on computer algorithms has in the ongoing debate over software patents.As one Agenda Setters panellist explains: "He's provided excellent grounds for anyone who wants to resist software patents in a lot of areas because a lot of the material is already in his books and therefore prior knowledge."
Knuth's many books on computer algorithms and programming, including the Art of Computer Programming, are used as textbooks in university courses and as references for professionals. Currently a professor emeritus at Stanford University, he continues to write, edit journals and speak at industry and academic events.
Take a walk down memory lane - and find out who made the Agenda Setters poll over the years:
"China clearly has many dimensions and many are setting an agenda. It's at the political level, it's at the investment level, it's at the contract manufacturing level and it's at the software level - it's all over."
--Peter Rowell, Regent Associates executive chairman and Agenda Setters panellist
How to spend $4 billion? Google has plenty of ideas New York Times via International Herald Tribune
The resurrection of Steve Jobs The Economist
Developing the Skype ecosystem: Q&A with CEO Niklas Zennstrom DigiTimes.com
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