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Old-school business types found some solace in the bust – at least the upstarts got their comeuppance. Hardly! With the economy finally perking up, newcomers are running the show: Three of the top five companies in this year's Wired 40, our annual list of enterprises leading the charge toward a connected global economy, were founded in the past decade. One-third are less than 20 years old.
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This year's list reflects the churn we've come to expect in the tech economy. Only nine selections appeared on the original list back in 1998. Still, the criteria for inclusion remain unchanged. These 40 leaders have demonstrated an uncommon mastery of technology, innovation, globalism, networked communication, and strategic vision – skills essential to thriving in the information age. Here's how they stack up.
1. Google ALL THE ANSWERS Last year: 1 The bigger the Internet becomes, the more it needs search. Dogged by imitators from formidable (Yahoo!) to flaky (Booble), Google has become the central clearinghouse in a world exploding with information. The company's vast hive of servers, purportedly the most powerful private network in existence, not only caches seemingly every page on the Web, but also personal data like email – and someday perhaps music files and more. It's hard to say what the company will call upon this monster rig to do, but you can be sure the Net will be better for it. Done: Gmail, Froogle, Google Local, Orkut – what hasn't Google done? To do: Cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin need to complete their IPO without betraying their promise to do no evil.
2. Amazon.com EVERYTHING MUST GO … ONLINE Last year: 7 The question facing Amazon has gone from "Will it work?" to "What won't work?" The online retailer-cum-global mall now runs more than 35 virtual storefronts selling everything from underwear to live lobsters; there's even a page that accepts campaign contributions. What started with books is fast becoming the Net's premier one-stop shop. Done: The company has opened its database so other retailers can integrate their stores into the Amazon flow. To do: CDs and DVDs – yawn. Amazon should capitalize on its peerless customer reviews to sell downloadable music and video.
3. Apple Computer (new) THE NEW FACE OF CONSUMER ELECTRONICS They laughed in 2001 when Steve Jobs introduced the iPod, Apple's $400 MP3 player. They laughed in 2003 when he opened the iTunes Music Store, selling songs for 99 cents when millions of consumers were downloading tracks for free. But Jobs is having the last laugh, while creating the kind of platform-and-content synergy that gadget makers dream of. Having sold 5 million iPods, Apple owns 55 percent of the music player market. Meanwhile, iTunes has coaxed the Big Five record labels into a single online store and persuaded fans to download – legally – more than 60 million songs, about 70 percent of commercial downloads. And beyond consumers of digital media, Apple is empowering a new generation of content creators with superior music production (GarageBand) and video editing (iMovie). Put them on the blazing Power Mac G5 and you have the platform of the creative class. Done: The iPod Mini, released in February, is already taking market share from makers of smaller, cheaper music players. To do: With iTunes for Windows and the HP-branded iPod, Apple is finally playing well with others. If only it would find more playmates.
4. Genentech (new) BIOTECH GROWS UP In the feast-or-famine world of biotech, Genentech has reaped a bounteous harvest, season after season. It was the first to splice genes into fast-growing E. coli bacteria, thereby mass-producing therapeutic proteins, like insulin. Later, Genentech scientist Arthur Levinson advanced the technique by using mammalian cells to manufacture drugs – a standard practice today. Levinson became CEO in 1995, and revenue has since more than tripled to $3.3 billion without a single major acquisition. In February, the Food and Drug Administration approved Avastin to treat colon cancer, a decision that could bring in $2 billion a year – or much more if the drug is approved for other cancers. Levinson has vowed to make his company a leading developer of drugs for cancer and immune disorders by 2010, when he hopes to have won approval for 10 new treatments. With lung, prostate, and ovarian cancers in its sights, as well as arthritis, Genentech is well on its way. Done: The company enjoyed an unprecedented string of FDA approvals between June 2003 and February 2004: Avastin, Xolair (the first asthma therapy based on genetic engineering), and Raptiva (for psoriasis). To do: Genentech is ideally positioned to transform bioinformatics, genomics, and high-throughput screening from 20th-century dream into 21st-century reality.
5. eBay FLEA-MARKET CAPITALISM Last year: 6 More than just an online auction site turned cultural phenomenon, eBay is an economy unto itself. This year, roughly $30 billion worth of goods will change hands through the company's servers. That will make the auctioneer the 81st-largest economy in the world, just ahead of Kuwait and El Salvador. Not bad for ecommerce. Done: eBay Motors has become the operation's biggest division in dollar terms, moving $7.5 billion in cars last year, up from $1 billion in 2001. To do: Fraud has grown so rife that vigilante users are tracking down grifters. The auctioneer needs to police miscreant sellers much more aggressively.
6. Samsung Electronics (new) A CHIP OF CONSUMER PARADISE In 1997, in the midst of the Asian financial crisis, Samsung Electronics' new president Jong Yong Yun committed what seemed like an act of corporate suicide. He began sinking billions into research and equipment, vowing to outclass competitors in memory chips and consumer electronics. It was an inspired strategy. Samsung lifted DRAM chips from commodity to value-added item by tailoring them to meet the needs of prized customers like Dell and Microsoft. Then, when the growing popularity of digital cameras and MP3 players spurred demand for flash memory, it quickly converted its memory chip plants. At the same time, the company pioneered voice-activated dialing and was the first to equip cell phones to play MP3s and shoot video. Samsung has not only grown into the one of the most respected non-Japanese brands in Asia, it has become a leading innovator in consumer electronics worldwide. Done: Samsung introduced a mobile phone with a camcorder and video-on-demand. Then it sold 100,000 of them. To do: Connect PCs, TVs, hi-fis, microwaves, and air conditioners: Korea, where 70 percent of homes are wired for broadband, is a perfect laboratory for the emerging digital household.
7. Yahoo! MAKING THE WEB PAY Last year: 3 CEO Terry Semel is on a mission to figure out what makes money on the Web. His ability to aggregate huge audiences – 263 million and counting – has attracted 70 of the 100 top US advertisers as well as dozens of content suppliers. Yahoo! is where ads meet eyeballs on the Net. Done: Yahoo! built a new top-notch search engine from scratch, thanks to expertise from acquisitions Inktomi and Overture. To do: Google has outpaced Yahoo! in search and free email. The Web's oldest brand needs to hone its edge.
8. Electronic Arts PLAYING TO WIN Last year: 28 Eat your heart out, Hollywood. EA took in $2.5 billion last year, more than the 10 top-grossing films combined. The company's new LA studio plans to employ 1,000 writers, animators, and assistants, many from the film industry. Games aren't just growing more realistic and interactive; thanks to EA, they've become mainstream. Done: EA revamped its Internet division, adding 1.8 million subscribers to new online tournaments. To do: So far, interactive entertainment has taken hold only in games. Movies, music, painting – the field is wide open to EA.
9. Pixar (new) THE ANIMASTER In 1995, Steve Jobs predicted in these pages that Pixar would usher in a new era of filmmaking, possibly even supplanting traditional 2-D cel animation. It took less than a decade for his company to deliver, serving up digital crowd-pleasers like Finding Nemo, the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Between five feature films and a handful of shorts, Pixar has collected a staggering $2.5 billion and 17 Academy Awards – an average of $500 million and three Oscars for each feature. And it consistently keeps 44 percent of what it takes in, an unheard-of percentage in the media industry. Pixar also licenses its technology to others, but its ability to advance digital imagery with each new release keeps it in the vanguard. Pixar's success in movies, along with Apple's in music, has made Jobs the first digital media mogul. Done: Jobs declined to renew his 13-year-old distribution deal with Disney, prompting would-be suitors to begin a frenzied mating dance. To do: Pixar needs a distribution partner willing to accept a smaller cut than Disney, yet with enough clout to reach the masses.
10. Cisco Systems THE "WORK" IN NETWORK Last year: 11 Tech moguls wondering how to win friends and dominate markets need look no further than Cisco. The hub-and-router king has ruled the network market for a decade with hardly a glance from trust busters. Instead of strong-arming competitors, the company has absorbed clever startups while keeping its workforce streamlined and focused. It's an 800-pound gorilla that fosters innovation rather than squashing it. Done: Cisco shored up sluggish IT revenue by fine-tuning its wares for voice over IP. To do: The company has fended off low-cost competitors by offering features that anticipate market demands. How about blocking viruses at the router?
11. Infosys Technologies GOING WITH THE WORKFLOW Last year: 34 It's a classic new economy pattern: A nascent company performs a familiar task at lower cost, disrupting an industry but freeing up resources for further innovation. In the case of Infosys, 24,000 programmers worldwide – educated, English-speaking, and paid a fraction of US wages – develop and maintain software for US giants like Cisco and American Express. You wanted lower costs and higher productivity? You got 'em. Done: Moving beyond India, Infosys has built coding shops in Mauritius and China. To do: If Infosys can expand throughout the developing world, it will unleash the power of pent-up engineering talent worldwide.
12. Dell Computer THE GREAT COMMODITIZER Last year: 15 Dell's formula of assembling on demand and selling directly to the customer turned PCs into commodities. It also made Dell the desktop market leader. The company has since squeezed prices for printers, storage, even plasma TVs. If computers are ever traded in the commodities pit, a statue of Michael Dell should be erected there in his honor. Done: Following Gateway into the consumer electronics market, Dell now peddles TVs and MP3 players. To do: A few overpriced markets could use the Dell touch: Cable TV? Wireless access?
13. IBM IT'S A BLUE WORLD AFTER ALL Last year: 4 Quick: What's the biggest software company after Microsoft? Maybe Oracle? Perhaps SAP? Wrong. It's IBM, which is using its muscle to propel open standards like Linux into the corporate arena. But IBM is about more than just software – as a force in other markets, such as chips, servers, and storage, it's the all-in-one IT outsourcer. Done: After acquiring PricewaterhouseCoopers, IBM trained consultants to think like engineers, and vice versa. To do: IBM routinely wins more patents than anyone. It's time to focus on turning nanotech and bioinformatics into real industries.
14. SAP (new) SEAMLESS SOFTWARE Today's economy is hell on the IT department. Companies buy and get bought, swap partners like swingers, and operate in a shifting landscape of new customers and suppliers. All this makes it imperative that incompatible software systems talk to each other about, say, which suppliers offer the best prices for a given part, or what a prized customer bought today. SAP's software stitches these systems into an efficient whole at 22,000 companies in 28 industries. The company's initial focus was enterprise resource planning – in plain English, that's automating basic business activities. But as the firm has grown it has moved into managing databases and customer information, realms dominated by giants like Oracle and Siebel. Competition is heating up, but SAP has an advantage: Shrewd cost-cutting during the IT downturn has left it lean and agile. With 59 percent of the business-software market, SAP is the major player in enterprise management. Done: SAP won new customers around the world, like Airbus in Europe, Ashland Oil in the US, and New China Life Insurance. Sales to Brazil, China, and India grew at double-digit rates. To do: Make enterprise software cheaper. Make it easier to install and upgrade. Most of all, make it adapt to the company, not the other way around.
15. Nokia THE NET IN YOUR POCKET Last year: 2 Nokia became the leading maker of mobile handsets – nearly two in five now carry its name – just as cell phones were shifting from analog to digital. The challenge is to stay on top as phones evolve into game/email/music/camera devices. The company's effort to gain a controlling interest in the Symbian handset OS is a bold bid to cement its advantage. Done: The Flying Finn grabbed top market share for GSM phones in China and racked up brisk sales in Brazil, India, and Russia. To do: Nokia is in a position to dovetail Wi-Fi with GSM and CDMA networks, creating a seamless wireless Web – and tiered price structure – from high bandwidth to low.
16. Netflix DIGITAL VIDEO SERVER Last year: 18 When you're explaining to your grandkids what a VCR is, take a moment to tell them about the local video-rental outlet driven to extinction by Netflix. Using the postal service's hoary network, Netflix has turned the rental business on its head and drawn a throng of customers who have remained loyal despite the onslaught of competitors like Wal-Mart. CEO Reed Hastings says video downloads are next. Done: Netflix posted its first annual profit in 2003 and vowed to double membership to 2.7 million this year. To do: Who needs parcel post? We want our VOD!
17. Monsanto REENGINEERING AGRICULTURE Last year: 32 If Monsanto's genetically modified seeds haven't destroyed the earth, neither have they fulfilled their promise to ease world hunger. New CEO Hugh Grant has abandoned the strong-arm tactics that made his company a pariah. Now his challenge is to transform Monsanto from the only business that dared apply genomics to agriculture to the one that makes hay with it. Done: Under Grant, Monsanto has won allies in the food industry and begun mending fences with regulators in Brazil and Europe. To do: Under fire, the company backed away from the notion of growing drugs in GM crops. It's planting season again.
18. Toyota Motor (new) LEAN, GREEN DRIVING MACHINE Any doubt that Toyota owns the hybrid-car market vanished in February when, as 1 billion TV viewers worldwide watched, stars like Sting, Jack Black, and Charlize Theron pulled up to the Oscars in (the envelope, please) a Prius. Honda also makes hybrids, and GM and Ford will roll theirs out this year (the latter using Toyota's tech). But with the Prius, Toyota has already captured the hearts of the eco crowd – and made other automakers green with envy. The company, which mass-produced the first part-electric, part-gas powered vehicles in 1997, will boost Prius production by a third this year and transplant its hybrid technology to its Highlander line and the Lexus brand starting this fall. Toyota's innovation extends to assembly lines: Although its plants have been regarded as the industry's most efficient for decades, it recently upgraded them to standardize factory equipment and processes. Now it's studying every component to squeeze out remaining inefficiencies.There's no stopping a company that won't stop improving. Done: Toyota overtook Ford to become the world's second-biggest automaker in 2003, selling nearly 7 million vehicles. To do: Why does green have to be a dirty word? Toyota's challenge is to sell Middle America on fuel economy.
19. Vodafone Group WIRELESS AT HEART Last year: 9 With 128 million subscribers from Portugal to Japan plus a 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless, Vodafone is poised to determine what kind of data gets pumped through mobile devices. The opportunity is huge: to create a portable, interactive global network for text messages, music, video diaries, and live news. Oh yeah, and phone calls. Done: Vodafone narrowly avoided overextending itself by losing to Cingular in a bid for AT&T Wireless. To do: Enough talk. Make the mobile Internet a reality.
20. Flextronics HARDWARE ON DEMAND Last year: 39 Dell, Ericsson, Nokia, and Xerox are among those who have turned the dirty work of manufacturing over to Flextronics. The Singapore-based outsourcer does it cheaper, thanks to high volume and an integrated network of plants from Brazil to Hungary to China. Flextronics brought in $13 billion last year making gadgets like Microsoft's Xbox and HP's DesignJet printer. With that kind of money, who needs glamour? Done: Flextronics met the downturn by expanding in low-wage countries and emphasizing customer service. The reward: a flock of satisfied tech-giant customers. To do: Hardware prices would drop even further if the company took on other tasks, like supply-chain logistics and warehousing.
21. InterActiveCorp LITTLE SHOP OF DILLER'S Last year: 29 By adding dotcom survivors like Expedia and Match.com to core holdings like Ticketmaster and Home Shopping Network, Barry Diller turned InterActiveCorp (formerly USA Interactive) into a mosaic of consumer indulgences. Diller is strong where Amazon isn't: travel, events, dating, and real estate. That makes a solid foundation for a growing ecommerce empire. Done: Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, and Lending Tree are the newest gems in Diller's collection. To do: The quickest way to profits is the shortest path to sales. InterActiveCorp needs to put one-click shopping on TV.
22. Nvidia PUSHING THE PIXEL ENVELOPE Last year: 22 The breakneck pace of development in graphics chips makes Moore's law look like a turtle race. Yet Nvidia has pulled ahead of the pack, putting PCs on a par with consoles and preparing the way for high-res 3-D imagery to migrate from games to the desktop, handhelds, and beyond. Chip by chip, Nvidia is bringing fantasy closer to reality. Done: Sony's upcoming Spider-Man 2 and Warner Bros.' The Polar Express take advantage of Nvidia technology, giving the company an entr�e into Hollywood. To do: Archrival ATI Technologies snagged the market-share crown briefly last year. Nvidia needs to win it back.
23. WPP Group ADDING IT UP Last year: 33 CEO Martin Sorrell wants you to take things personally. He's pushing for personalized marketing – mobile, interactive, and direct – instead of traditional ads, which are about as personal as a hug from Dick Cheney. But Sorrell knows that each of the 102 countries where advertising behemoth WPP operates needs to be spoken to in its own special way. The world may soon be hanging on WPP's every word. Done: The purchase of British agency Cordiant Communications gave WPP a firm foothold in Asia. To do: Tomorrow's corporate giants in China, India, and Mexico need a global voice today.
24. Intel MACRO PROCESSOR Last year: 14 Intel makes 85 percent of PC microprocessors, but that won't keep it on top in a post-PC world. So the firm is developing silicon for servers, handhelds, flat-panel TVs, and medical gear, and its $4.8 billion R&D budget is funding research in fiber optics, nanotech, and smart dust – especially after its 64-bit Itanium chip was met with a yawn from the market. Done: Five million PCs were shipped with Intel's Centrino technology in 2003, bringing Wi-Fi to the masses. To do: The costly fiasco of the Itanium chip serves as a reminder that Intel must satisfy market needs as it diversifies.
25. EMC MINDING THE STORAGE Last year: 36 EMC became a tech giant on the strength of immense networked hard-disk arrays. After copycats like Hitachi and IBM piled on, the company branched into software that automatically tags and prioritizes everything from email to video files. The result: Data storage that's fast, cheap, and open to all operating systems – and EMC's return to the vanguard. Done: EMC cemented its lead in storage software with purchases of Legato, Documentum, and VMware. To do: Add AI to storage networks. EMC should put a virtual archivist at every employee's beck and call.
26. FedEx LORD OF THE BRING Last year: 12 First FedEx eliminated the friction from express mail. Then it applied its world-class logistics to ground shipments, taking on UPS in a market long ruled by the brown trucks. The upshot: in 2003, some 5.3 million packages delivered to 215 countries every day. Done: The $2.4 billion purchase of 1,200 Kinko's stores extended FedEx's reach into back-office tasks like printing and binding. To do: Lots of things need transporting. How about FedEx Grocery or FedEx Travel?
27. Microsoft MONSTER, INC. Last year: 8 The Goliath of Redmond has a simple mantra: Control the operating system and you control destiny. Indeed, Microsoft's hegemony allows it to set the agenda – on desktops and servers, at least. But the company's taste for monopoly over innovation has attracted a host of persistent Davids, including regulators, virus creators, and Linux developers. Longhorn, the next-generation OS, will test the giant's plan to make its software the operating system for your life. Done: Bill Gates finally made peace with Sun's Scott McNealy, who had goaded the Justice Department and then the European Commission to prosecute Gates' Evil Empire for antitrust violations. To do: Given Microsoft's long string of scrapes with antitrust cops, it's time for the company to start competing on the merits of its products.
28. Pfizer (new) KING OF THE PILL FDA approvals have slowed – the agency green-lighted only 21 drugs in 2003, down from 56 in 1996 – so Pfizer is packing its pipeline to make sure something gets through. Despite the surging cost of bringing drugs to market, the Viagra maker has 130 new compounds in development, as well as 95 new uses for old ones. It will spend $8 billion on R&D this year, more than double its 2003 profit. But the trick to keep Pfizer growing at last year's amazing 40 percent clip is to combine the company's stellar marketing ability with the innovative spirit found at startups and universities. For instance, it's working with two of the hottest biotech boutiques, Eyetech and Neurocrine, to develop medicines for macular degeneration and insomnia, respectively. With 300 such partners laboring in the background, Pfizer's pipeline will be productive for a long time to come. Done: Pfizer's successful integration of Warner-Lambert and Pharmacia has given it the best-selling drugs for a dozen ailments from arthritis to depression. To do: Generally, it costs $900 million to make just one drug. Sounds like the pipeline itself is ripe for innovation.
29. Costco Wholesale (new) DISCOUNT DELUXE Who ever thought a warehouse store could be a popular weekend hangout? Credit Costco, the Washington-based big-box retailer whose skill at bringing deep discounts to high-quality goods has turned its cavernous stores into dizzying arcades of consumer fetish. Building on the hyper-efficient supply chain pioneered by Wal-Mart, Costco is putting luxury goods – Barolo wines, Jacuzzi spas, plasma-screen TVs – within reach of a new class of consumers. The combination of bulk sales and membership fees fosters customer loyalty; constant influxes of stylish clothing or fresh food items stimulate impulse purchases. The company also defies the low-wage Gospel According to Sam Walton: Despite paying higher wages, Costco's profit per employee is 22 percent higher than Wal-Mart's. If Wal-Mart has become a blight on small-town America, Costco is the amusement park on the outskirts – the place where all the fun is. Done: The company piloted a new store specializing in high-end home furnishings and drew up a plan to open these Costco Home outlets throughout the US. To do: Costco owns the wholesale-club niche while treating its employees far better than the average retailer. Now the company must build on its lead without sacrificing its exemplary standards.
30. Comcast STRIKE UP THE BROADBAND Last year: 38 More than 21 million US homes – one in five – get Comcast's cable service, and 5 million log on using its broadband Internet lines. With that kind of reach, CEO Brian Roberts thinks he has a shot at making video-on-demand work, putting pressure on TiVo-like recorders. First, though, he's taking on the Baby Bells by offering dirt-cheap voice calls over IP lines. Done: Having extended its reach by acquiring AT&T Broadband in 2002, Comcast showed its appetite for content with a bold bid for Disney this past spring. To do: VOD and VoIP are a good start, but Comcast could really shake things up by launching legal P2P file-sharing into the living rooms of America.
31. Taiwan Semiconductor THE CIRCUIT MAKER Last year: 24 Manufacturing microprocessors is an expensive undertaking that can distract innovators from designing better chips. The solution? Let Taiwan Semiconductor do it. Orders from niche players like Broadcom that don't have their own factories, as well as giants like Motorola and Philips that do, are keeping the company's revenues growing 40 percent a year. By making it cheaper to produce ever more advanced chips, TSMC is clearing the way for next year's killer app. Done: The company broke ground on a new factory in China, helping maintain its majority share of the global foundry market. To do: To extend its role, Taiwan Semi could move up the value chain, becoming not just the silicon industry's factory but its lead designer.
32. Ameritrade (new) TRADING PLACES The bear market did away with many etrading outfits, but it made Ameritrade stronger than ever. In 2003, after years of losses, the company made a $137 million profit, a fitting reward for CEO Joe Moglia's foresight four years ago: After the bubble burst, he moved fast to slash more than one job in three. Then he bought five smaller rivals – including a $1.3 billion deal for Datek in the darkest days of the downturn – and integrated them without increasing head count. As a result, the company executes more online stock trades than anyone in the world, and does it more profitably than E*Trade and Charles Schwab, which found it necessary to expand into mortgages and investment advice. The lesson? Even post-crash, it pays to believe in online trading. As the truest believer, Ameritrade is the biggest winner. Done: Last year, the company unveiled its coolest tool yet: graphic circles representing stocks that pulse as buy and sell orders are placed. Click on the circle to trade the stock. To do: Someday anyone will be able to trade any stock from any location at any time. What's the holdup?
33. Gen-Probe (new) DISEASE DETECTIVE Technology has done more for treatment than it has for diagnosis. Gen-Probe is evening the score by automating the labor-intensive task of testing blood for diseases like hepatitis and HIV. The benefits: lower cost, higher productivity, and fewer human errors. Unlike blood screeners that look for antibodies, Gen-Probe's machines detect viral genetic material, which is present well before antibodies appear. Its Tigris system allows one person to run 1,000 tests a day, 10 times the rate of other diagnostic devices in use. Tigris won FDA approval last December. Now Gen-Probe is aiming higher: It's developing a screen for prostate cancer that promises to be three times more effective than the competition. Done: In October 2002, the National Institutes of Health asked Gen-Probe to develop a test for the West Nile virus. Nine months later, it was ready to roll. To do: Prostate cancer screening is a good start. Now where is Gen-Probe's breast cancer screen?
34. Ryanair WING COMMANDER Last year: 30 In eight years, Dublin-based Ryanair has built a no-frills airline that shuttles 22 million skinflints a year to more than 75 European cities, buffeting the Continent's complacent airline industry. The company keeps costs low by focusing on second-string airports and selling tickets on the Web, completing 95 percent of sales online. Ryanair is now the Internet's favorite way to fly. Done: No reclining seats. No head rests. No window blinds. Ryanair's cost-cutting has been ruthless. To do: The carrier has a golden opportunity to extend the budget-airline business to developing countries with a growing middle class.
35. L-3 NETWORKED DEFENSE Last year: 21 Defense contractors don't get edgier than L-3. The company integrates automated equipment with aging machinery, giving new meaning to the term military-industrial complex. CEO Frank Lanza's vision: Unmanned planes delivering precision munitions based on real-time recon while wired warriors stalk the enemy on the ground. War may be hell, but at least it's a connected hell. Done: Bomb-sniffers and flight recorders are now part of L-3's homeland security toolkit. To do: Opening L-3's technology to allies would allow for more efficient multilateral forces in global hot spots.
36. Citigroup WORLD BANK Last year: 31 Citigroup is the world's banker. It manages accounts for 200 million individuals and corporations in 100 countries. A third of its revenue comes from outside North America, and that's where Citigroup sees its future: serving the rising consumer and entrepreneur classes in the world's fastest-growing economies. Done: Last year, Citigroup introduced credit cards in Brazil, China, and Russia, and underwrote the $3 billion IPO for China Life Insurance. To do: Whatever happened to emoney? Citigroup just might have the clout to finally replace cash and cards with a virtual alternative.
37. Level 3 THE LAST FIBER BARON Last year: 23 What if they built a 22,500-mile digital network and no one came? Slack demand from telcos and ISPs leaves much of Level 3's fiber dark, so CEO James Crowe is selling broadband service in a potentially lucrative new market: voice over IP. If the VoIP business catches fire, it will brighten Level 3's future. Done: Crowe scored a major deal providing broadband to the federal government. To do: While Level 3 waits for the market to heat up, its $1.1 billion rainy-day fund will come in handy for buying up rivals at cut-rate prices.
38. Inditex UP-TO-THE-MINUTE FASHION Last year: 19 Retailing giant Inditex and its Zara chain of nearly 2,000 clothing stores are household names from S�o Paolo to Singapore but nearly unknown in the US. The Spanish company relies on a globally integrated supply chain to cut costs and time to market. But Inditex faces formidable challenges: Weak sales, currency fluctuations, and savvy imitators like Sweden's H&M threaten the company's future. Time to innovate! Done: Zara expanded into furniture last year, with 30 stores in Europe. To do: Inditex's far-flung network is poised to challenge American cultural dominance – first in fashion, then in design at large.
39. JDS Uniphase LIGHT AT THE END OF THE CABLE Last year: 40 Of all the tech stars of the '90s, JDS Uniphase was among the hardest hit by the bust. The premier maker of optical networking electronics has weathered hardship well, selling industrial lasers and flat screens while it waits for an upturn. If broadband and voice over IP start to crest, JDSU will be ready to ride the wave. Done: The company found a strong CEO in Cisco veteran Kevin Kennedy, who is nudging it back to profitability by shaving costs and branching into high-margin businesses. To do: Why not sell off excess inventory to countries that can't afford fiber? That would establish JDSU's hardware as the global standard.
40. BP PRIMING THE PUMP Last year: 26 CEO John Browne believes the world will run out of oil in 40 years. That may seem like a long time, but Browne thinks ahead. He's pushing the oil giant toward solar, wind, and hydrogen. Meanwhile, he touts natural gas as a clean alternative. Done: BP reduced greenhouse gases by scrubbing emissions from its factories in industrialized nations and promoting unleaded gasoline in the developing world. To do: Without a push, hydrogen energy won't be available anytime soon. The world's largest oil company could make it happen.
Left Behind
Ten companies were ejected from the Wired 40 this year. Their sin? Failure to meet the global economy's incessant demand for innovation.
Affymetrix Personalized medicine was the most exciting promise of Affymetrix's microarrays, but the technology didn't deliver.
Cemex The Mexican mixinghouse reinvented the cement industry in the '90s, but it failed to come up with a compelling follow-up act.
Charles Schwab The company that democratized investing risks becoming just another knockoff of a Wall Street brokerage.
Check Point Software The Israeli outfit is no longer the only giant keeping the Internet safe for ecommerce. Cisco, Microsoft, and others have joined in, eroding Check Point's market share.
GlaxoSmithKline Its dramatic R&D restructuring is finally taking root, but rival Pfizer has excelled in a strategy with more immediate results: licensing deals with the hottest biotech startups.
Honda Motor Despite its commitment to innovation, Honda can't match Toyota's hybrid-car sales and manufacturing muscle.
Millennium Pharmaceuticals Using genomics to discover new drugs was a wonderful idea. Years later, it's little more than that, and Millennium is falling back on traditional methods to stay alive.
Oracle Larry Ellison's power grab for PeopleSoft demonstrated how desperate he is to remain a force in business software. His fumbled attempt shows that he may be losing his golden touch.
Sony The Japanese electronics giant hasn't overcome its structural flaws and returned to the forefront of new product development.
Wal-Mart A brilliantly automated back end propelled Wal-Mart to the very center of the global economy. Now the retail behemoth is more bully than trailblazer.


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It should have become a demonstration of what kiteboarding has to offer to the Olympic Games - but if there is no wind, there is no wind...
Some of the fastest kite racers in the world came to Miami to participate in the kiteboarding demonstration for the Olympic Racing Classes Regatta on the final weekend of the Regatta.
The Regatta included over 700 sailors representing 58 countries. The kiters headed out to do the demonstration in an amazingly light wind forecast with their best low end gear. Winds were around 2 to 10 kts., averaging around 2 to 8 kts. with extended lulls in the actual race area.
As there was no chance to get permission to launch from Hobie Beach, competitors where shuttled to a nearby spoil island to get on the water.
It turned out to be possible to load competitors that would represent a full medal race fleet into one boat and bring them to the designated race area.
As winds were really light, with extended lulls of almost nothing (less than 2 knots), it was clear that trying to run a kiteboard race would be anything than easy, however the racecommittee in agreement with the competitors decided to give it a try and to showcase what kiteboarding could be to the race officials at the OCR event.
It should be noted that ISAFs race management policies require a stable 6 knots breeze in the racing area for boards which surely was not given in the area the kiteboard race was meant to take place. Apart from the lulls the average wind strength would never have been considered to be suitable to start a valid race, but for a demonstration event it was at least worth trying.
In fact, it was not only the kitebaorders that suffered from the light conditions, sailboats and windsurfers needed to be towed out of the harbour as well, respectively shuttled to the racing area. If we are talking about showcasing the sport to a wider audience than to sailors it feels questionable if races should be run in such conditions, when the boats can not even leave the harbour without outside help. One should think about downhill skiing, where competitions are cancelled when there is no snow, or ski jumping when competition is postponed when there is too much wind. Shouldnt we consider racing around a race course only if the conditions are there ? And doesnt this actually mean having some reasonable wind ?
Apart from these problems that all sailing classes had to face, the demonstration went pretty well. Once the wind decided to cooperate, the kites were up and planning immediately and showed better performance and low end speed than any other sailing class.
Most of the racers were way to the east just to the west of Key Biscayne. The winds were funneling down Bear Cut and being amplified off the western shore of Key Biscayne. As a result a wide variety of sailing craft were being ferried to the race area via powerboat. It would make sense to do the same thing for kiters and/or to do boat launch near the actual racing area in light conditions. Once the wind reaches a stable 5 knots breeze racing can already commence as an action packed spectacle
One can tell how light the breeze is from Damo's short wake, no whitecaps, lightwind riding !
Larger efficient kites that can develop good apparent wind, longer lines, constantly evolving raceboards and fins and a good deal of wind sense and tactics allow for riding in fewer wind from day to day.
Surely not everyone in the race was fairly light. Patrick at 6'2" weighs 175 lbs. but despite that was hauling butt in the light breeze.
One of the main advantages of kiteboarding is the insensitivity regarding competitors size and weight, making the discipline accessible to any type of athlete while providing a level playing field. Another advantage is that men, women, youth and juniors all compete on the same equipment, further reducing equipment costs.
Some of the competitors attended the awards ceremony of the Miami OCR after this interesting light wind testing day.
Kent and Patrick both touched on the economics of Olympic sailing competition. Large vessel racing is primarily confined to the more affluent countries. Smaller countries may pursue more realistic sports like kiteboarding, windsurfing, Lasers and the like. Many of these countries have Olympic team training programs in place, starting with kids and moving up to team membership in time. Kent indicated that the relative low cost and mobility of kiting gear gave the sport some distinct advantages.
In which other class can you load a fleet of racers including their equipment in a boat and shuttle to a suitable location...
Taking into account the given wind situation in the designated kite racing area which would have never been suitable for racing under "competition conditions" we still have to consider this as a quite successful test. It has shown the strengths and weaknesses of kiteboarding as an Olympic Discipline, but these weaknesses can be easily overcome by organizational means. As this was not an officially scheduled race, competition was not taking place in the best wind area of the bay and the race committee was not able to act as they would have done in a "fully recognized race".
Give us the time and give us the place, and sailing in the Olympics will have a new attraction !

subset: commoncrawl


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Previous research suggests that spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) may be helpful for various types of chronic headaches, including cervicogenic headache (CGH), which is associated with neck pain and dysfunction. In a recent randomized controlled trial, NCCAM-funded researchers from Western States Chiropractic College and other institutions evaluated the dose (number of treatments) and relative efficacy of SMT in a group of 80 patients with chronic CGH.
The study participants were assigned to an SMT group or a control group, which received light massage. Participants in both groups received treatments from chiropractors in 10-minute sessions either once or twice a week for 8 weeks, for a total of 8 or 16 treatments. Participants who were treated only once a week also had weekly examination visits, which included a discussion of the patient's condition followed by a manual examination, as a control for provider contact/attention. Researchers used pain and disability scales to evaluate the participants' response to treatment once every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. They also asked subjects about the number of headaches experienced.
Compared with massage, participants receiving SMT had greater improvements in CGH-related pain and disability, lasting to 24 weeks. These differences were clinically important and statistically significant. The dose effects of SMT treatments (i.e., differences between 8 and 16 treatments) were small but significant. The mean number of headaches reported by SMT subjects decreased by more than half during the study.
The researchers concluded that their findings support SMT as a viable option for treating CGH, but also point out that these findings should be considered preliminary. They suggest additional research to determine whether SMT results for patients with CGH are affected by treatment intensity and duration, use of other therapies, lifestyle changes, and an integrative care approach.
Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, et al. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Spine Journal.;10(2):117–128.2010
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The Vans World Cup of Surfing kicked off in great style with a big wave surfing day igniting the Round 1 of competition. Serious 10-to-12-foot waves brought the largest crowd at Sunset Beach in the 38-year history of the event.
In the second leg of the Vans World Cup of Surfing, of the 16 heats contested, 11 were won by Hawaii surfers. A former star of the ASP World Tour, Pancho Sullivan has been a favorite for this event for more than a decade, but a win here continues to elude him.
"Every time you think you've got this wave figured out, it humbles you," said Sullivan, 38. "It takes a lot of time and dedication to the break and your equipment, to surf well here.
"The adrenaline you get as you come towards the inside bowl, the wave is warbling and you just have no idea what it's going to do. I think that's why we all surf: that excitement of the unknown. Sunset delivers that on all levels. It is a tough wave.
"A lot of the focus (in recent years) has gone down to Pipe and guys are riding really thin, narrow boards, so when you come back up to Sunset, those boards just don't translate.
"All the power's in the top two thirds of the wave out here and I think the younger guys make the mistake of going all the way to the bottom before they set that bottom turn and there's just no energy down there. If you add the fact that they're riding a really narrow, pin board they just can't get the drive to really get up off the top and down the line."
Today's top heat scorer was Tonino Benson (Big Island, Hawaii), with a two-wave total of 16.17 points out of 20. The highest individual wave score went to Vans World Cup rookie and junior wildcard Keanu Asing (Hawaii), for a hefty tube ride that earned him 9.33 out of 10.
"I stood up and I was down the face of the wave already," said Asing of his hefty drop. "I was like, 'wow!' I could see this thing doubling up and doubling up. I figured I might as well try and stall. I had so much water in my eyes and as I was coming out I kind of fell forward and almost fell. I was so excited."
Only one Brazilian advanced out of Round 1 today: Ricardo Dos Santos. He was also one of the lone-goofy footers to successfully get barreled.
Sunny Garcia, a two-time champion of this event (1994, 2000), logged a crowd-raising double barrel in his heat today to advance, and will take on female wildcard Carissa Moore, Alain Riou (Reunion Island), and Mitchel Coleborn (Australia) tomorrow.
"I've got Carissa?" Garcia said. "Well, what can I say? This time last year I was coaching her, so I guess I'm going to have to bring my A-game. I'm a huge Carissa Moore fan. She's the greatest woman surfer in the world. I'm going to be cheering her on in the lineup."
Results of the Round of 128
H1: Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 13.24pts ; Evan Valiere (HAW) 11.94pts ; Tyler Newton (HAW) 7.94pts ; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 6.93pts
H2: Marcus Hickman (HAW) 9.00pts ; Perth Standlick (AUS) 7.93pts ; Gabriel Villaran (PER) 7.60pts ; Yuri Sodre (BRA) 3.30pts
H3: Billy Kemper (HAW) 8.33pts ; Chris Foster (HAW) 7.40pts ; Jeronimo Vargas (BRA) 5.86pts ; Roy Powers (HAW) 5.70pts
H4: Jamie O'Brien (HAW) 14.84pts ; Brent Dorrington (AUS) 9.36pts ; Caio Ibelli (BRA) 9.23pts ; ALex Smith (HAW) 5.50pts
H5: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 11.00pts ; Gavin Gillette (HAW) 10.83pts ; Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 7.70pts ; Solomon Ortiz (HAW) 7.06pts
H6: Torry Meister (HAW) 9.43pts ; Brian Toth (PRI) 7.90pts ; Dege O'Connell (HAW) 6.90pts ; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 6.00pts
H7: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 14.87pts ; Tim Reyes (USA) 10.20pts ; Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 8.83pts ; Billy Stairmand (NZL) 1.70pts
H8: Davey Cathels (AUS) 11.60pts ; Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 10.80pts ; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 9.67pts ; Dylan Goodale (HAW) 8.77pts
H9: Joel Centeio (HAW) 12.50pts ; Ian Walsh (HAW) 9.67pts ; Jano Belo (BRA) 9.43pts ; Jesse Merle-Jones (HAW) 7.56pts
H10: Tonino Benson (HAW) 16.17pts ; Dale Staples (ZAF) 15.17pts ; Kamalei Alexander (HAW) 11.40pts ; Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 6.33pts
H11: Keanu Asing (HAW)12.90pts ; Austin Ware (USA) 8.06pts ; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 6.77pts ; Makai McNamara (HAW) 5.97pts
H12: Adrien Toyon (REU) 11.67pts ; Sean Moody (HAW) 10.66pts ; Casey Brown (HAW) 7.03pts ; Joan Duru (FRA) 6.36pts
H13: Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 11.97pts ; Sunny Garcia (HAW) 11.00pts ; Blake Thornton (AUS) 11.00pts ; Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 9.96pts
H14: Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 13.30pts ; Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 12.93pts ; TJ Barron (HAW) 10.67pts ; Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 8.87pts
H15: Myles Padaca (HAW) 12.93pts ; Mason Ho (HAW) 12.70pts ; Jack Freestone (AUS) 9.37pts ; Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 7.43pts
H16: Ricardo Dos Santos (BRA) 15.53pts ; Ian Gentil (HAW) 12.90pts ; Flynn Novack (HAW) 9.73pts ; Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 8.80pts