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Ready To Startup - Lists at Ranker

Who run the world? Businessmen! CEOs! Entrepreneurs! Read all about them so you, too, can get a piece of that sweet, sweet power pie.

Big Business

Influential

As business leaders,&nbsp;historical captains of industry and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-irreplaceable-ceos-in-the-world/ready-to-startup" target="_blank">current CEOs</a>&nbsp;inspire&nbsp;generations of entrepreneurs. They&nbsp;shape&nbsp;the commerce worlds of their day and beyond, influence&nbsp;political destinies - and make beaucoup bucks in the process. What does a CEO do, exactly? As a titan of the industrial revolution, Henry Ford perfected the assembly line to produce more affordable cars. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/walt-disney-facts/coy-jandreau" target="_blank">Walt Disney</a> brought &quot;imagineering&quot; to Hollywood with Disney animation studios, and later Disneyland&nbsp;and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Many contemporary &quot;celebrity CEOs,&quot; aka famous CEOs, work out of Silicon Valley.&nbsp;Case in point: Facebook CEO <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-mark-zuckerberg/donn-saylor?ref=rltdlsts&amp;l=525485&amp;li_source=LI&amp;li_medium=desktop-also-saw" target="_blank">Mark Zuckerberg</a>, who spun a social media and communications revolution from his Harvard dorm room to the halls of Congress.While the leaders on this list are notable in their fields, not all fit the formal CEO definition in their time. What does CEO stand for? By strict standards, the CEO meaning is 'chief executive officer,' a relatively modern term that came into common parlance in the 1970s. Before then, company heads were more often referred to as 'Chairman' or 'President.' Some companies retroactively refer to their founders and figureheads as CEOs, while others do not.For the purposes of this list, a person's stewardship and iconography are more important to consider when voting, rather than the formal title held during their tenure. Now that you know what a CEO is, share your opinions on the greatest CEOS of all time.

The Most Influential CEOs Of All Time

Person

The Greatest CEOs, Company Presidents & Chairmen of All Time

Ready To Startup

Culture

A list of the best books on venture capital. Funding is necessary to starting any business. Venture capital by defintion is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital (or venture capitalist) fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as biotechnology, IT and software. For many up-and-coming companies, venture capital is a way for them to raise the important funds necessary in order to get their small business going. The books on this list will help any budding start-up company get a handle on venture capital. These books can offer anything from advice on how to raise money to stories on how other companies were able to raise funds to the proper approach when dealing with venture capital.There a number of books on this list that are considered some of the best on the topic of venture capital. Fundamentals of Venture Capital, Smarter Ventures and Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur are all popular examples of reading material that people use when researching VC. There are other books, like The Facebook Effect and Barbarians at the Gate that provide a much different perspective. If you're looking to raise money via venture capital, then these are must-reads.On this list of the best books on venture capital, there are many different types of books you can read to get a further understanding of the topic. Whatever book you choose to read from this list, you really can't go wrong, especially if in the end, it helps you fund your start-up. That's what counts in the end, right?

The Best Books on Venture Capital

Book

Literature

A list of the best social media books. What's the best way to increase traffic on your website? These days, outside of mastering SEO, aka Search Engine Optimization, your best bet is to learn the ways of social media. In this day and age, having strong social media skills imperative to launching a successful website. Social media is tightly defined, but utilizing it to the best of your ability is what separates successful, monetizable websites versus smaller fledgling ones. The books on this list are recommended reading for website owners if they plan on keeping up with understanding the ever changing social media landscape for businesses from a wide variety of perspectives. No matter what aspect you're looking for to improve or hone your social media skills.Books like The Now Revolution, Content Rules and Smart Business, Social Business are just a few examples of the books you'll find on this list. The books here will help you get your website or enhance your profile to get to the next level with your online presence.Have a look at the best social media books out there today. These books are considered some of the best on the market so if you want to learn more about social media, these are the books to read.&nbsp;

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

The Best Social Media Books

A list of the best Internet marketing books. Ever wondered how you could best market your website? How about monetizing your website? Sounds great, right? Well, you should have a gander at the books on this list. These books will help provide the foundation necessary for your website to take off. Many of the books on here were written by some of the best and brightest minds in online marketing. These books tackle many topics beyond the simple marketplace. Experts give advice on how to master social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Google +. Books on Google AdWords will make it easier for you find out what clicks and there are always books on SEO, aka Search Engine Optimization that will help your fledgling website navigate the murky and ever changing waters known as Google.Books like The B2B Social Media Book, Twitter Power and Don't Make Me Think are among the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-selling-books-of-all-time/jeff419?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most popular books</a> in Internet marketing. The same goes for books on building content and how to build websites. No matter how you cut it, these marketing books can help take your website to the next level.&nbsp;Take a look at the best Internet marketing books out there. If you notice a book you think should be on this list, feel free to add it.

The Best Internet Marketing Books

Internet

The Most Evil Internet Company

Company

Employment

The top careers of the future are those best-paying jobs and career choices predicted to be the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-in-demand-federal-jobs/american-jobs?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most in demand</a> in the future. Many of these job fields are growing at a rapid pace and on track to continue that in the years to come. If you're at a crossroads or in a job soon to be eliminated, check out these careers predicted to be the best in the future.While no one can truly predict which careers will be the best many years from now, many of these jobs are unlikely to be eliminated anytime soon simply because the demand for the services of these professions is likely to be always in high demand. The healthcare field is one area where this is true with careers like working as a registered nurse, home health aide, physical therapist, dental hygienist and occupational therapist in demand now with no signs of stopping. People will always get sick and accordingly, these jobs will always be needed. Same goes for other professions unlikely to be eliminated in the future such as educators, accountants and interpreters and translators. Other great career choices for the future are related to technology. A great deal of these options deal with information technology and computers systems, such as the systems engineer, IT professional, software engineer and computer systems analyst professions. In addition to being in demand in the future, many of these jobs are among the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-highest-paying-jobs-in-america/american-jobs" target="_blank">highest paying jobs in America</> as well. While they might not be the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-jobs-in-the-world/charmhrm" target="_blank">best jobs in the world</a>, like being a chocolate taster or private island caretaker, but these jobs have very bright futures ahead.

Systems Engineer

The Top Careers for the Future

General

The most influential game programmers of all time are the talented and visionary men and women who have developed many of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-games-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best video games ever</a>. Each with multiple titles on their resume, these top video game programmers have brought joy to millions of gamers around the globe with their revolutionary and legendary games.It would be easy to select earlier game programmers as among the most influential simply as they created the games that came first. Who knows how games would have evolved if not for Nolan Bushnell and Pong, Toru Iwantani and Pac-man or Alexey Pajitnov and Tetris. Each of those programmers and games, along with Shigeru Miyamoto, programmer behind classic titles like the Super Mario and Zelda series, Donkey Kong and Star Fox, among others, set the tone for which video game programmers to come could work from.Another argument could be made that the more recent video game programmers should be seen as more influential because they took the fundamentals established by the older programmers and built newer games. Developers such as Will Wright, who developed the Sims series, Hideo Kojima, responsible for the Metal Gear series, Satoshi Tajiri, who made the Pokemon series, and Sam and Dan Houser, who developed the Grand Theft Auto series, all made their place as an influential video game developer for doing just that.So whether these programmers created some of the first video games, the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-rpg-video-games-ever-made" target="_blank">greatest RPG video games</a>, like Hironobu Sakaguchi did with the Final Fantasy series, or just created those <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-addictive-video-games-of-all-time" target="_blank">most addicting video games of all time</a>, each of these programmers are easily the most influential in the world of video gaming.

Jenova Chen

The Most Influential Game Programmers of All Time

poll

The most influential software programmers of all time are the innovative and brilliant men and women who each contributed something ground-breaking to the software programming world. These are the pioneers of programming all having created, evolved or improved upon the foundations of modern computer programming. Plain and simple, without these software programming legends, computers, the Internet and many of your favorite programs would never exist.Selecting which software programmer is the absolute most influential is often a chicken and egg conundrum. Without the early <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/programming-language-programs-applications-systems-and-platforms/reference">programming languages</a> like FORTRAN, created by John Backus, or the C programming language, created by Dennis Ritchie, newer languages would never exist. But newer programmers, such as Tim Berners-Lee, who created HTML, James Gosling, who created Java, or Rasmus Lerdorf, who created PHP, improved upon those early innovations to create bigger and better things. Others might argue that it's not the programming language authors that should be considered the most influential but those who used programming to make computer science accessible to the average person. Microsoft, co-founded by the famous Bill Gates, changed the world, as did Google, created by the team of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. But is their influence on the tech world more important than that of the software language creators? Are they among the greatest programmers of all time?Who are the most famous computer programmers? In the end, software programming and the Internet was not created overnight and certainly not by one person or company. It's a combination of each software programmer's innovations that has brought us to where we are today. The great thing about programming is that it's always evolving and improving. Who knows, maybe the most influential software programmer ever hasn't even discovered his or her big thing yet. Until then, vote on which <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-programmer_s)/reference">notable software programmer</a> you think is the most influential of all time.Check out more lists like the<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-influential-game-programmers-of-all-time/ready-to-startup"> top game programmers</a>, the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-infamous-hackers-of-all-time/ready-to-startup">best hackers of all time</a>, and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-tech-bloggers-on-the-web">most influential tech bloggers</a>.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-had-kids-via-a-surrogate/ranker-celebrities"> </a>

Linus Torvalds

The Most Influential Software Programmers of All Time

Famous Computer Programmers | List of Most Influential Coders of All Time

Social Networks

Top financial social networks on the Web, including niche investor and stock social communities as well as those organized by language, nationality or specialty interest. This list contains social networks and online communities relating specifically to stock purchasing, investment and finance.  A social network is defined as an online service, platform or website which is focused largely around uniting individuals and allowing them to communicate and interact. Facebook currently is the world's largest and most popular social networking platform, having supplanted previous champions such as MySpace and Friendster. Though many investors discuss stock purchasing and their portfolios on mainstream social networks, a number of niche communities dedicated specifically to money and monetary concerns have sprung up in recent years.  This list gathers together major players in the financial social networking field. It is an open list, so if you have a favorite money-themed social network that isn't featured, enter it below to make sure it's included on the list.

GuruFocus

Financial Social Networks

Website

Financial Social Network: List of Investing and Stock Online Communities

Facebook

Facebook founder and CEO <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-mark-zuckerberg/donn-saylor" target="_blank">Mark Zuckerberg</a> has become an international celebrity. He's a young billionaire, the largest stakeholder in one of the world's most influential companies, and also something of a pop culture icon. He was the subject of the multi-Oscar-nominated 2010 film The Social Network, after which everything from his choice of wardrobe to his dietary choices have become fodder for national debate and discussion. The CEO has encountered plenty of potentially <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/fired-over-social-media/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">career-ruining mistakes</a>, but so far has managed to bounce back from setbacks.&nbsp;This level of exposure and scrutiny has revealed that The Zuck is bit of a <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-socially-awesome-awkward-penguin-meme/ron-mexico?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">socially awkward penguin</a>. Something about his presence, on stage and in public, makes people sort of uncomfortable. Zuckerberg's public persona has grown warmer and more secure throughout the years, as Facebook grew into the biggest thing since sliced bread, but there have been missteps along the way. Take a Mark Zuckerberg interview&nbsp;at the D8 conference when he was grilled on privacy issues. Zuckerberg, wearing his trademark hooded sweatshirt, was sweating and even zoning out over the course of the cringe worthy interview.Mark Zuckerberg has been in his share of awkward moments throughout the years. And just as Facebook sees no sign of stopping anytime soon, we can only expect more awkward moments from the Zuck in the future.

The 8 Most Awkward Mark Zuckerberg Moments

Top blogging social networks on the Web, including niche blog social communities as well as those organized by language, nationality or specialty interest. This list contains social networks and online communities relating specifically to blogging, vlogging and lifecasting.  A social network is defined as an online service, platform or website which is focused largely around uniting individuals and allowing them to communicate and interact. Facebook currently is the world's largest and most popular social networking platform, having supplanted previous champions such as MySpace and Friendster.  This list gathers together significant social networks geared towards bloggers and writers. It is an open list, so if you have a favorite blog themed social network that isn't featured, enter it below to make sure it's included on the list.

tumblr.com

Blogging Communities and Social Networks

Blogging Communities: Social Networks and Resources for Bloggers

Biology

The most successful obese Americans include men and women who despite being overweight, have found mainstream success. These actors, actresses, musicians, politicians, pundits, and even athletes are all household names who either became famous despite being obese or packed on the pounds after they rose to fame. If Hollywood has an obsession with being stick thin, it definitely didn't tell some of the most well known large actors, actresses, and other personalities who have reached legendary status despite their size. Oprah Winfrey is just one of many celebrities who has battled weight in a very public forum but never let it stop her from becoming an entertainment mogul. Who are some successful fat people? For some, being obese has caused the public to question if they were fit for their individual professions. Fans have criticized professional athletes like John Daly and Babe Ruth for their weight, despite leading other athletes at the same games. Pundits have trashed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his weight, with some even claiming he's too fat to hold public office.Sadly, for a few of these favorite obese celebrities, their overindulgence contributed to their death. Though other factors were at play, the likes of John Candy, Chris Farley, and even the great Elvis Presley are just a few <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/8-of-history_s-greatest-gluttons/barbara-gaston">celebrities who enjoyed gluttony</a> and eventually, in part, died because of it. This list of celebrity fat guys includes male and female, tall and short, young and old overweight movie stars.&nbsp;But for all of the sad stories of obesity, there's also many celebrities who have proudly overcome their weight issues. Television personalities Drew Carey and Al Roker both shed extra pounds and became inspirational tales that others can use for their own benefit. Some stories are definitely more inspirational than others just like some of these famous obese people are more successful than others. Tell us which obese person you think is the most successful by voting for that person, re-ranking this list your way or adding someone we've missed below.

The Most Successful Obese Americans

Successful Fat People | List of Obese Celebrities

Startups

Innovative new tech companies are regularly gobbled up by larger competitors, or even just other companies that are looking to add on a new product, feature or offering but don't want to build it from scratch in-house. Large companies - and even some smaller companies with a lot of cash on hand or valuable stock - can have a variety of reasons for purchasing a new startup or competitor, Sometimes, the acquisition is largely about the talent behind a new product. Other times, the goal is to eliminate a competitor from the market and consolidate the audience in one place. Often, these acquisitions end with the smaller, acquired company completely disappearing inside the parent organization, and even the initial product that spurned the purchase disappearing along with the team responsible for it. On other occasions, acquired products retain their own identity within the parent organization and live on as independent offerings. It all largely depends on the intention the new company has for its recently-acquired colleagues and tech, and how well the two companies and their cultures integrate together post-acquisition.The companies on this list were all acquired by larger, older or more profitable companies, and the acquisition has been judged a &quot;success&quot; by the Ranker Community. If you feel a company that made a great addition to a team or pre-existing product has been left out, enter it <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-found-at-the-bottom-of-lakes/christopher-shultz?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">at the bottom</a> of the page.Check out more lists like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/essential-software-and-apps-we-can_t-live-without">the most essential Apps we need every day</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/posters-and-wall-art-websites/dot-commander">the best poster and wall art websites</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/where-to-find-ebook-downloads/barbara-gaston">the best places to download eBooks</a>.

YouTube

The Smartest Tech Startup Acquisitions Ever

Best Tech Acquisitions: List of Top M&A Deals in Technology History

List of all daily deal sites for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The Daily Deal website craze has circled the globe in the wake of Groupon's massive success, with thousands of sites promising great prices and cheap deals on all sorts of products and services. While Groupon and LivingSocial remain the two largest Daily Deal sites in America presently, the number of offshoots that serve a particular kind of product (like restaurants or fashion) or a certain location or city continues to grow.  The following daily deal sites specialize in discounts for local businesses in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Though some of them are national sites (such as TravelZoo or OpenTable), they all offer deals for Boston residents specifically. There are also a number of daily deal aggregators that combine deals offered from numerous sites, all on one page. Additionally, some of these daily deal services are mobile-only (such as ScoutMob), requiring you to look up the deal on a mobile device or smartphone and then bring the device directly to the vendor to activate the deal.

Boston Daily Deal Sites

Boston Daily Deal Sites: List of Deal Websites Serving Boston MA

The most evil Internet company is the one that requires you to add them on Facebook to read an article, makes you sign away your first born in their terms of service, and invades your privacy, including all your contacts on your smartphone. These evil Internet companies do all of that and then some but provide services that are so vital to our digital lives that we allow them to do these things anyway. If there was a scumbag Internet company meme, these well-known websites, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-social-networking-sites/deec">social networks</a>, domain registrars, and online services would all appear there with the trademark backwards hat. For one reason or another, all of these companies are hated for their shady practices, privacy concerns, or ways they've screwed over the little guy en route to becoming wildly successful.It's not a coincidence that some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/internet-companies/reference">biggest and most popular Internet companies</a> are also the most evil. Google and Facebook, the two websites that lead all others in terms of traffic and their user base, are the first two that come to mind. Both have been in the news for various customer concerns, including dipping their hands into the unknowing private information of people around the globe, but both also offer industry leading services that many of us simply cannot live without.Other companies, such as the iPhone innovator Apple, the domain registrar, Go Daddy, and the online payment service PayPal, may not be universally used like the big companies, but each also does something that puts them in the &quot;evil&quot; category.Have a grudge against an Internet company? Find an evil company that we missed? Add it or vote for it below and tell us why the company is evil in the comments. It might not make the company change their evil ways, but hopefully, it will provide a bit of solace instead.

Adobe Systems

Worst Websites: List of the Most Evil Tech and Internet Companies

Companies

List of companies named after individual people. Many companies derive their names from the individuals who founded the companies, or other important early contributors. (On occasion, the company is named as a tribute to an individual who is not directly involved in its founding, as with the fast food chain Wendy's, named for founder Dave Thomas's daughter, Melinda "Wendy" Thomas.)  Many of these famous names have now become recognizable brands, with consumers not even realizing that the name they have grown to recognize and trust once belonged to an individual person. (Who remembers that Tiffany & Co refers to Charles Lewis Tiffany?) In other cases, the founder remains as iconic as the business he or she started, as with Walt Disney and his animated films and theme parks, or Michael Dell and his eponymous computer firm.

Companies Named After Individuals

Companies Named After People: List of Firms Named for Individuals

The Best Overall Websites of 2011

Lists of real criminals and details about the bizarre, disgusting crimes they committed.

Insane True Crime & Criminals

Criminals

The most infamous hackers of all time brought down major companies, stole millions of credit card numbers, created viruses and even did some good along the way. These hackers are the pioneers in the computer hacking world and are some of the best at the sport. These are the hackers that made stole millions of dollars from individuals and companies around the world, shut down military systems, toppled companies networks, and even provided the first iPhone jailbreak. They may not have intended to do harm but with their actions they've become part of an elite group of the most infamous hackers of all time. Plus, they had cool hacker names. Never underestimate a good hacker name.As some of the most well-known hackers of all time, these hackers were also some of the first. Take Robert Tappan Morris for instance. He created the first computer worm, the Morris worm, and spread it across the Internet. Just as Morris was the first charged under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, others were the first prosecuted for their crimes, such as botnet specialist Jeanson James Ancheta who hijacked over a half million computers before he was captured by the FBI.While some, like Albert Gonzalez who stole over $4.3 million by hacking credit card numbers, wanted to profit from their actions, others actually wanted to do some good. Adrian Lamo spent his time locating security flaws in corporate networks, of which he'd notify the company afterward. Too bad he didn't tell the company ahead of time, which made his actions criminal.Others have changed how we use our everyday devices, such as George Hotz, who is held in high regard in the hacking world for creating the first iPhone jailbreak. Sure, many of these hackers spent time in prison for their actions, but nearly as many also came out cleaner and now work to help companies protect against these types of security flaws rather than helping exploit them. That there is a sign of greatness on its own.Who are examples of infamous hackers? This list of hackers will answer that question and more. Take a look at the most best hackers of all time and see for yourself.

The Most Infamous Hackers of All Time

Infamous Hackers | List of the Best Hackers of All Time

The Best Android Phones

Lists about the company behind the search engine that changed the world and the many wonderful things you'll find on it.

Google It

Google

Dumb, poorly-chosen acquisitions of tech companies by Google. Search giant Google.com tends to buy up a lot of smaller companies, particularly companies that have a lot of data and/or content that might be useful for those using the Google search engine. Recent examples include the purchase of ITA, a company collecting data and information about airline flights and travel, and Zagat Surveys, a publisher which famously aggregates restaurant and nightlife reviews.Many times, Google purchases turn out to be forward-thinking, strategic moves. The purchase of Pyra Labs allowed Google to integrate with the Blogger platform. The Android platform - Google's open source mobile platform - was originally brought in to the company via acquisition. And perhaps most famously, Google bought out YouTube, the largest source for streaming Internet video in history.But not all Google acquisitions have been winners. Here's a collection of the Worst Google Acquisitions. Buying these companies either proved to be unsuccessful or unproductive long-term, or perhaps was just a bad policy right from the very start.Check out more lists like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-google-acquisitions-ever/ready-to-startup">The Very Best Google Acquisitions</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/richest-charities-in-the-world/worlds-richest-people-lists">Wealthiest Charities in the World</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/world_s-richest-women/worlds-richest-people-lists">World's Wealthiest Women</a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/stars-who-passed-on-iconic-hollywood-roles/marc-cuenco"> </a>

Phatbits

The Worst Google Acquisitions Ever

Worst Google Acquisitions: List of Poor Companies Bought by Google

This list&nbsp;brings together the smartest, most forward-thinking business acquisitions Google has ever made. Google has acquired many other companies since 2001. Sometimes, these products end up living on under their former names - as in the cases of DoubleClick, Blogger, YouTube and Android. On other occasions, the former products get integrated into pre-existing or future Google applications, as int he case of the numerous map companies that blended together to create Google Maps. Finally, some companies end up being plundered for staff or useful parts, and then disbanded. This list can contain companies from all of these groups, so long as the acquisition - long-term - was beneficial to Google and wise in retrospect.This is an Open List, so after you've voted on the smartest acquisitions, feel free to add your own suggestions <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-found-at-the-bottom-of-lakes/christopher-shultz?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">at the bottom</a> of the page. &nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-20-film-of-the-1940_s/darrenmartinturner"> </a>

Postini

The Best Google Acquisitions Ever

http://www.builtinla.com/

Best Google Acquisitions | List of Companies Acquired by Google

Executives

NOTE: This list is just for CURRENT CEOs. It is not intended as an &quot;All-Time Greatest CEOs&quot; collection. Please only include executives currently holding the chief executive position in a company. In January of 2012, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang resigned from the company’s board of directors and from all other positions with the company and in August of 2011, Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs announced he would be resigning from his position (though he remained on board as an Apple employee and board member until his death). Though Jobs was replaced by the capable Tim Cook, this still sparked a lot of discussion about the fate of Apple after the loss of its long-time leader and chief innovator and the same can be said of Yahoo. This list identifies the other Chief Executive Officers who are centrally important to their companies, and whose departure would lead to concerns about the fate of the business as a whole. They needn't be from the world of technology, either. Any CEOs of any major companies are eligible for consideration.And because this is an Open List, add the names of any irreplaceable CEOs you think companies could not prosper without. They'll get added to the main list and then the Ranker community can vote on the Most Essential CEOs.Check out more lists like Sexiest Female Leaders of 2014, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-awkward-mark-zuckerberg-statements/ready-to-startup">Surreal Mark Zuckerberg Characteristics</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-ceos-who-tweet/blizzle">Twitter Obsessed CEOs</a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/russell-brand-tattoos/tat-fancy"> </a>

Reed Hastings

The Most Irreplaceable CEOs in the World

Irreplaceable CEOs in the World | Greatest Current CEO List

What are the best US cities for entrepreneurship and new startups? For hopeful new business owners, it's a quandary. Given a shaky U.S. economy in recent years, it can be a challenge to find U.S. cities that are business friendly. Entrepreneurs no doubt want to find that perfect locale, one where their company can thrive. Several factors go into considering the best cities to found a company in, including the city's population (is it rising?), expense (are the business costs relatively low?) and overall quality of life (including crime rates, general cost of living and cultural/educational opportunities in the area). In addition, if one is looking to launch a tech startup, the area's tech-friendliness should definitely be considered (<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-tech-startups-in-boulder-colorado/ready-to-startup">Boulder, Colorado,</a> for example, is a really hot area for tech startups, as is the entire <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-tech-startups-in-arizona/ready-to-startup">state of Arizona)</a>. There's a lot to consider for budding CEOs, but this list offers some great potential places to found new companies. Know of other hot areas that are company-friendly? Feel free to add them to this list!Check out more lists like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/cities-with-the-best-sports-teams/sportsyeah">Cities in America with the Best Sports Teams</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/companies-headquartered-in-new-york/the-working-man">Companies with their HQ in New York City</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-expensive-commercial-streets-in-north-america/worlds-richest-people-lists">Most Expensive High Streets in USA</a>

San Diego

The Best US Cities for Starting a Company

City/Town

Best Startup Cities: List of Top US Cities for Founding a Company

Some of the most successful startup companies in history were, at one time, vastly underrated. Not everyone comes out of the gate and charges straight into the startup spotlight - some new companies do, of course, but this list isn't about them. It's about the most underrated startups. &nbsp;You know, the startups that <a href="http://www.kruzeconsulting.com/" target="_blank">outsource their CFO</a>&nbsp;and do whatever it takes to make it big. The little guys who are doing awesome things, with little or no fanfare. The champions-in-the-making that you need to know about, because, well, they're simply awesome. Let's break out the champagne and toast these startups - they deserve it!&nbsp;Know of some other underrated startup companies that aren't on this list? Add them!Check out more lists like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepiest-startups/ready-to-startup">The Weirdest and Creepiest Startups</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-kickstarter-funded-video-games/ranker-games">The Best Games Created Due to Kickstarter</a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-wolverine-movie-quotes/movie-and-tv-quotes"> </a>

Onavo

The Most Underrated Startups

Underrated Startups: List of Promising Up and Coming Web Companies

The coolest employers in tech are those that have employees who are actually happy to show up to work each day. These range from﻿ <a href="www.ranker.com/list/electronics-shopping-websites/sirsinister">﻿﻿﻿﻿electronic shopping stores﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿</a>, <a href="www.ranker.com/list/men_s-vintage-clothing-websites/sirsinister">vintage men's clothing stores</a>, or <a href="www.ranker.com/list/cheap-women_s-clothing-websites/sirsinister">cheap women's clothing site</a>s.These employees are productive, content, and motivated. This list includes some of the coolest tech employers around, and hats off to them for earning a spot. Don't agree? Vote the company down, by all means. But if you do agree that a company listed here is truly worthy of a spot, be sure to vote it up (and add any other cool tech employers that are missing). What constitutes the &quot;cool&quot; factor when it comes to tech employers? That depends. Some tech companies offer great perks to workers (think Google on this one, because really, all that's missing at the GooglePlex is an indoor water park, and that's probably coming). Others make employees instant millionaires by going public (ahem, Facebook). Even without all of these mega-perks, some tech company employers earn the cool tag by simply offering a laid-back, interesting, stimulating place to work on a daily basis. Obviously, you can't please everyone all the time, but when a majority of your employees enjoy what they do and where they do it job-wise, you've succeeded. You've earned the cool points, and deserve a spot on this list. Time to weigh in: Who are the absolute best and coolest employers in tech?

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