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The 50 Who Matter Now

In our second annual ranking, Business 2.0 has compiled an unabashedly subjective list of people, products, trends, and ideas that are transforming the world of business.

By Business 2.0 staff

8 of 50

Elon Musk

Bleeding-edge entrepreneur

Rank: 43

Why he matters: After selling the PayPal online payment system to eBay for $1.5 billion, Musk has parlayed his estimated $334 million in personal wealth into three revolutionary ventures: electric cars, solar panels, and low-cost space travel.

As chairman and chief checkwriter at Tesla Motors (see No. 19), he hopes to give the electric car market a big jolt. Musk's SpaceX has successfully launched its Falcon rocket, a bargain at $7 million per flight, with hopes of muscling its way into the multibillion-dollar satellite launch business. Then there's Solar City, another Musk company, which encourages neighborhoods to share the cost of installing solar panels.

We assume Musk has his eye on a synergy play: humans driving solar-charged Teslas on the moon!

Winners: Who Matters Now? reader vote

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