Jacobs is the rare public company CEO who succeeded his father without stumbling. Qualcomm was founded by MIT engineering professor Irwin Jacobs, who developed the CDMA wireless-communication standard. Paul Jacobs is a distinguished electrical engineer in his own right, with more than 40 wireless-technology and -device patents to his name. Today, all 3G handset makers must pay royalties to Qualcomm if they want their phones to connect to CDMA networks. Sales rose 28.7% over the past year.
He rescued the coffee chain. It had record financial results this year. Now the CEO is on a campaign to save the country from its politicians. Here's how he blends capitalism and activism.
