09/09/2004, 4:05pm, EDT

Thursday, September 9th

Apple, Pixar among most innovative companies

Apple was chosen as the most innovative company in the past 75 years, according to a BusinessWeek survey of 500 senior-level business executives. More than 35 percent of executives picked Apple, while Microsoft was second with 32 percent and Pixar was third with 31 percent identifying the company as most innovative; however, Microsoft's Bill Gates (50%) topped Steve Jobs (47%) as respondents were asked to identify the most innovative CEOs (others included Michael Dell, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and eBay's Meg Whitman). More than half of those surveyed named the personal computer (56%) and the Internet (51%) as the greatest innovations of the past 75 years, followed by DNA (49%) and television (34%).

More than half (52%) of business executives consider Henry Ford to be the most innovative entrepreneur, followed by Sam Walton (48%) and Walt Disney (41%). Donald Trump was the least popular among survey respondents, only favored by five percent.

Executives named Mahatma Gandhi (56%), Martin Luther King, Jr. (45%) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (42%) as the most innovative political/government leaders. Nearly 60 percent named Warren Buffet, followed by Jack Welch (42%), Lou Gerstner (32%) and Bill Gates (29%), as the business leader for whom they would vote for president. More than 60 percent of respondents named former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, followed by Alan Greenspan (53%) and Bill Clinton (34%), as a political leader who would make the most effective business executive.

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jbrjake

rofl

09/09, 5:02pm, EDT

While I can't but agree with their finding about Apple, I'm really dubious about the accuracy of this survey. I mean, 50% of respondents picked Bill Gates as the most innovative CEO!? This is the man who infamously thought, what was it, 512k was enough memory for anyone. Who notoriously missed the exit on that whole InterWeb thang. Who's been trying to get the same 'next generation' file system out for the past 12 years. What's Gates' big innovative achievement? I mean, he's famous for porting BASIC to the first PC, for ripping off CPM, for ripping off Xerox and Apple....NT4 maybe? That was an okay OS. But as I recall they stole most of that from IBM...can anyone help jog my memory? What's Bill Gates ever done that's innovative? His mansion?

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I Have Questions

could'a sworn

09/09, 5:18pm, EDT

that DNA wasn't an innovation. I thought that stuff was around for a while now...

More than half of those surveyed named the personal computer (56%) and the Internet (51%) as the greatest innovations of the past 75 years, followed by DNA (49%) and television (34%).

:)

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Mike Peel

DNA? Innovative?

09/09, 5:19pm, EDT

So, why's DNA so innovative? It's been around, well, for a rather long time. Definately not innovated in the last 75 years. Unless humanity's younger than we all think it is...

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d-film

DNA is new?

09/09, 5:20pm, EDT

I wonder what the hunab race did for so many millions of years without DNA?

I'm surprised they also left of viral marketing...

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wymer100

timeline wrong

09/09, 5:33pm, EDT

They were actually asking about the greatest inventions over the past 5.5 billion years. That's how DNA got in. Not sure how computers and the internet would have ranked higher than DNA, but then again, these are executives and not scientists. Michael Dell is on the list so things have to be screwy.

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nat

just goes to show

09/09, 5:40pm, EDT

People are stupid. How on earth can anyone think Gates came up with anything at all? I have for years challenged PCheads to name ONE single thing Gates brought to the table. Not copied, borrowed, bought, or his favorite way, stole. This is the man that famously said , in '95, that the web was a fad and MS wouldn't be getting into it. He had to add a chapter in his book to include it after he realized what a moron he is.
Only in America is grand theft considered innovative. Ah, the rules of business. The road ahead indeed.

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slboett

BIlly Gates

09/09, 6:12pm, EDT

Has finely honed the art of stealing - don't you guys get it?
Jeez. He's got to be hating getting those votes - he KNOWS that he doesn't deserve it.
SB

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Ganesha

MS Bob...

09/09, 6:27pm, EDT

I'm pretty sure MS Bob had no equal before it....

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jimothy

re: MS Bob

09/09, 6:37pm, EDT

Though I'm sure you meant the Bob comment in jest, Bob really was just one more idea Microsoft ripped off. Packard Bell (Remember them?), Compaq, and other major PC makers often included software that emulated (in look and, supposedly, function) a traditional (real-world) desk. As per their MO, Microsoft thought it a good idea to copy these ideas, and Bob was born.

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chadpengar

NT borrowed from DEC

09/09, 7:28pm, EDT

Windows NT was "borrowed" from DEC and not IBM. The lead guy on NT in the beginning was Dave Cutler, who also did VAX/ELN and VAX/VMS 1.0, I believe, as well as RSX11M and other DEC OSes. He had been in charge of the DEC Prism (SW side) project when that got cancelled and he moved to Microsoft and brought many of his engineers with him.

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