No. 18 Bob Young, founder and CEO, Lulu.com
Last year's position: 49
Why? Ditching Dickensian publishing
After just squeaking onto the Agenda Setters list last year, Bob Young has jumped up the rankings on the success of his innovative publishing service Lulu.com, which allows writers to bypass the traditional world of publishers and print books on demand.
Called "iTunes for authors" by one Agenda Setters panellist, Lulu.com not only makes it possible for writers to publish books of niche interest but also allows them to get their hands on a bigger chunk of the royalties than going via traditional routes.
The panel praised Lulu for moving beyond the Dickensian publishing world to usher in a digital, author-empowered era.
The former CEO of Red Hat, Young is just the sort of serial entrepreneur Lulu needs to thrive - and one from whom the panel expects more Agenda Setting ventures down the road.
Take a walk down memory lane - and find out who made the Agenda Setters poll over the years:
"Ray Ozzie is a radical change force for Microsoft. He is moving them in a very different direction."
--Richard Sykes, Agenda Setters panellist
"My observation is that [kids today] are far more networked and open than any other generation we have ever seen."
--Peter Cochrane, Agenda Setters panellist
The world's most powerful women Forbes.com
Smart 50 - Asia's best users of IT ZDNet Asia
Chron 500 - The San Francisco Bay Area's top public companies San Francisco Chronicle
The 50 people who matter now Business 2.0
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