As part of its 25th anniversary, CNBC is creating a definitive list of people who have had the greatest influence in business over the past quarter century. Determining who belongs on this list—and who should rank higher—has led to some spirited debates. Today, we pit Mark Zuckerberg against Jack Dorsey. After reading, cast your vote.
Mark Zuckerberg
In just ten years Mark Zuckerberg changed the way people communicate and the way brands reach consumers, with a service that 1.23 billion people use monthly, and over ten percent of the world—757 million people—use daily. Not yet 30, Zuckerberg established the social advertising business, while pivoting his business from desktop to mobile-first.
Zuckerberg is also a force outside Facebook—he co-founded Internet.org to increase access to the Internet, and is pushing for immigration reform with FWD.us. He and his wife are also among the nation's most generous philanthropists, donating nearly $1 billion last year.
Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey may not be as rich as Mark Zuckerberg, but his legacy is just beginning.
Unlike Zuckerberg, who badly miscalculated mobile, the co-founder of Twitter saw mobile as the future from the beginning. That goes back to his earliest tweets, which were about where he was in San Francisco.
Dorsey knew the end-user could and should change the product. The result? Hashtags and trends—tools that Facebook has since borrowed (some would say stolen).
Dorsey's now proving he's more than a one-trick pony, with mobile payments service Square. The company has an investment from Starbucks, and there are rumors of an IPO.
And who did Disney pick when choosing its board? Jack Dorsey—maybe the only exec on this list with a tattoo running the length of his arm.
In short, Dorsey is skating where the puck is going—and we haven't seen the last of how he's changed American business.
