Eric Schmidt - Agenda Setters 2008

Name: Eric Schmidt

Title: Google CEO

Position: 6    Last year: 3

Why? Keeping Google in the big time

Agree with panel rating?

• Mike Lynch
• back to list
• Ashley Highfield

Despite dropping three places from last year, Eric Schmidt makes it into the Agenda Setters top 10 for the fifth year in a row.

The Google chief oversees a company that continues to wield influence in the tech industry and rake in the money.

Over the past 12 months Google has moved into new markets - and into more direct competition with Microsoft - with the launch of a mobile phone operating system and an open source web browser.

Schmidt has also been busy integrating recent acquisitions into the company - from video site YouTube and security firm Postini to online ad company DoubleClick.

The company continues to attract more business users for its Google Apps, is one of the big players in cloud services - and even found time to dip its toes into virtual worlds with Lively.

All the while the search giant still dominates its first business, now owning nearly three-quarters of the search market.

Schmidt was singled out once again for his Agenda Setting ways. As one panellist said: "Love 'em or hate 'em, when Google moves others pay attention."

No longer the underdog upstarts, Google and Schmidt now face the challenge of maintaining the company's positive image as it becomes one of tech's true giants.