STEVE BALLMER

AGE: 52
OCCUPATION: CEO of Microsoft since 2000
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Despite what those flippant "I'm a Mac/PC" ads would have you believe, Microsoft is not a shlub in a bad blazer and pleated khakis: it's still the world's largest software company and a force to be reckoned with. Neither Apple nor Linux nor Google has succeeded in killing it. And it looks like Ballmer's ballsy Yahoo takeover might go through after all.

CON: But does anyone think engulfing Yahoo would boost Microsoft's competitiveness on the Internet? The company's $30 stock price says no. Meanwhile, hardware glitches in the Xbox 360 and massive dissatisfaction with the new Vista OS are hurting the bottom line.