They’re masters of technology and innovation. 
They’re global thinkers driven by strategic vision.
They’re nimbler than Martha Stewart’s PR team.
They’re The Wired 40.

01. APPLE COMPUTER – iPowerhouse
As the world moves toward open standards, the last true believer in closed systems refuses to capitulate. Funny thing: No one is asking Apple to change. That’s because the computer maker turned consumer electronics powerhouse has made a virtue of proprietary control, consistently delivering quality and flair. The company sold 8.2 million iPods in 2004, and iTunes accounted for 70 percent of legal music downloads, leading to exceptional revenue and profit in Q4. With such a foothold in music, can an assault on TV be far behind? 
Challenge: Woo enterprise users who still dismiss the Valley darling. As a Dell spokesperson scoffs, “Is it innovation if no one buys it?”
Opportunity: Build on the iPod/iTunes strategy. How about an Apple video camera that adds value to Final Cut Pro?

02. GOOGLE – The Answer
The Internet’s librarian turns out to be its biggest power broker. Fueled by $3.2 billion in 2004 revenue, Google fulfills 200 million searches of 8 billion Web pages a day, determining which sites are seen and which remain buried. And new initiatives keep coming: local search, maps, movie showtimes, searchable television content. A recent post on Slashdot.org puts it neatly: “In a few years, you’ll be driving your Google to the Google to buy some Google for your Google.” 
Challenge: Retain valuable employees. Now that the fortunes have been made, workers may have little incentive to stay.
Opportunity: Wrest screen real estate from Microsoft. Desktop search is just the thing to capture the first parcel.

03. SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS – Gadget Master
If China is the number one Asian threat to the US consumer electronics industry, number two is the republic of Samsung. The South Korean company racked up profits of $10.8 billion in 2004, more than Sony, Matsushita, Motorola, and Nokia combined. It leads in flash memory and computer displays and ranks third in cell phones. With 15 R&D centers around the globe and the perfect test market in its backyard, Samsung gives even the cut-rate Chinese reason to tremble.
Challenge: Currency exchange rates. The falling dollar is bound to crimp the company’s earnings.
Opportunity: Be the new Sony. The tech and products are there; the image still needs work. Time for an all-out branding offensive.

04. AMAZON.COM – Mall World
Jeff Bezos is finding that it pays to gamble. Not long ago he bet that customers would come to Amazon for more than books; last Thanksgiving weekend, his company sold more electronics items than books for the first time. Now Amazon’s CEO is wagering beyond e-commerce. In September, Bezos rolled out a search engine, A9.com, that offers recommendations: “If you liked that site, you’ll love this one.” That’s more than a shopping service; it’s an assault on Google and Microsoft. 
Challenge: Show us the money. Bezos has proven his bookshop can grow, but profits have been paltry.
Opportunity: Partner with Netflix — or crush it. Amazon could very well do either: It owns the Internet Movie Database, and it’s piloting DVD rentals in the UK.

05. YAHOO!– Next Stop: Hollywood
Fastest revenue growth: 119% Ten years after two Stanford engineering students undertook a quixotic effort to categorize every page on the Web, Yahoo! is set to storm Hollywood. It has revenue: $3.6 billion in 2004. It has eyeballs: 345 million pairs every month. It has broadband partnerships with reality TV kingpin Mark Burnett and Entertainment Tonight. CEO Terry Semel has hired ABC exec Lloyd Braun, the guy who green-lighted Desperate Housewives, to cook up compelling shows. Can he direct Yahoo! to Wisteria Lane?
Challenge: Keep at least one eyeball on Google. Yahoo! is still an ad-driven Web portal at heart.
Opportunity: Create content. Yahoo!’s numbers make TV’s sweeps-week audience look tiny.


THE WIRED 40
01. APPLE COMPUTER
02. GOOGLE
03. SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS
04. AMAZON.COM
05. YAHOO!
06. ELECTRONIC ARTS
07. GENETECH
08. TOYOTA
09. INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
10. EBAY
11. SAP
12. PIXAR
13. CISCO
14. IBM
15. NETFLIX
16. DELL
17. GENERAL ELECTRIC
18. MEDTRONIC
19. INTEL
20. SALESFORCE.COM
21. VODAFONE
22. FLEXTRONICS
23. EMC
24. NVIDIA
25. JETBLUE
26. FEDEX
27. MONSANTO
28. MICROSOFT
29. NOKIA
30. COSTCO
31. COMCAST
32. PFIZER
33. LI & FUNG
34. TSMC
35. GEN-PROBE
36. CITIGROUP
37. L-3 COMMUNICATIONS
38. AMERITRADE
39. EXCELON
40. BP