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Meet the top 100 business visionaries creating value for the world

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Meet the top 100 business visionaries creating value for the world David Ramos/Getty 1. Mark Zuckerberg Cofounder and CEO, Facebook http://www.businessinsider.com/bi-100-the-creators-business-visionaries-creating-value-for-the-world-2016-6?op=0#/#-100 Since founding Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg has turned the website into one of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley and the most popular social network in the world, worth more than $330 billion. Under Zuckerberg’s guidance, Facebook has become more than just a way for friends to share photos. The site now hosts over 1 billion daily active users from all across the globe — they chat with friends, share articles, discover news, and more. The site also launched Facebook Live in April, giving users the ability to stream experiences with followers in real time. Facebook’s growth pays off for shareholders as well: For the first quarter of 2016, the site’s revenue reached $5.2 billion, 57% higher than a year ago. While anyone can use the network, landing a job there proves cutthroat. It’s one of the most sought-after places to work, thanks to top-notch perks like gourmet meals, on-site doctors, laundry and dry cleaning services, and a generous four-month paid parental leave policy. After the birth of his daughter in November, Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, his wife, pledged to give away 99% of their wealth — which is estimated at over $52.1 billion — in their lifetimes through an organization called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, though some critics noted this new organization wasn't a nonprofit charity itself and found the announcement misleading. The couple plans to focus on making long-term investments in causes and organizations that will improve health, education, and equality. Through Facebook, Zuckerberg revolutionized the ways in which we interact with each other, making it possible for users to seamlessly connect with anyone anywhere in the world. But he hasn't stopped there. The tech mogul continues to innovate, create, and add value to the world as a whole by finding new ways for people to connect. 2. Howard Schultz Chairman and CEO, Starbucks http://www.businessinsider.com/bi-100-the-creators-business-visionaries-creating-value-for-the-world-2016-6?op=0#/#-99 For nearly three decades, Howard Schultz has been the force behind the most popular coffee chain on the planet — and a dynamic model of a progressive CEO who’s as animated by social issues and employee health as he is profit margins. Schultz is deeply invested in the well-being and success of Starbucks’ 300,000 employees, whom he calls “partners.” Starbucks was one of the first US retailers to provide comprehensive health benefits for all part-time and full-time employees. Schultz also earned labor-friendly reviews in recent years for a program to pay workers’ full college tuition as well as for pledging to hire 10,000 military veterans or their spouses by 2018. Schultz has suggested that Starbucks’ creed — “to use our scale for good” — should be a model for other global corporations. He has wielded his influence to decry open carry gun laws, declare the importance of social diversity and inclusivity, and start a national conversation about race (even though that one backfired). Recently, Starbucks launched FoodShare, a program to donate the stores’ leftover ready-to-eat meals to food banks across the US. The coffee chain plans to donate nearly 50 million meals by 2021. A higher calling hasn’t hurt the bottom line, as Starbucks has never been more profitable. When he returned for a second stint as the company’s CEO in 2008 (he stepped back to serve as chairman during an eight-year hiatus) he refocused on quality and retrained his army of baristas, helping profits swell from $315 million to $945 million in two years. Last year, profits reached $2.8 billion on revenues of $19 billion, both record highs.