 No. 41 Hu Jintao, Chinese Premier
Last year's position: 4
As the largest country in the world with a growing economy and a significant foothold in the tech economy, there's no doubting the decisions Hu Jintao makes will not only have an impact on the one billion Chinese citizens - such as increasing web censorship - but also on large numbers of tech companies - such as forbidding the import of equipment that didn't comply with the country's own Wi-Fi security standards.
While the burgeoning market in China plays a key role in governing the direction of technology, it seems Jintao's role is slipping - he's taken a nose dive on the list since last year.
As more and more of tech's big names set up camp in China and either snap up a portion of the country's IT spend or collaborate and influence homegrown firms, it's the vendors not the premier that our panel bets are about to take control.
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