18. Robin Li
Company: Baidu
Country: China
Title: Chairman and CEO
Age: 42
Robin Li has solidified his place as China's leading entrepreneur in recent months. His Baidu search engine ended 2010 with more than 70% market share thanks to rival Google's face-off with Chinese government officials. Revenue last year grew 78% to nearly $1.2 billion, and profits soared 137% to approximately $521 million. Next up for Li? An expansion into new businesses -- and new geographies. Baidu is pushing into videogames, e-commerce, and mobile search. And Li hopes to extend Baidu's brand to the rest of the world. Skeptics question whether a censored Chinese search engine will have global appeal, but Li, undaunted, is pressing ahead with plans to translate the site into a dozen languages.
-- W.B.
NEXT: 19. Takanobu Ito
Last updated April 19 2011: 5:21 AM ET
