Wired 40

Wired has a list: “They’re masters of technology and innovation. They’re global thinkers driven by strategic vision. They’re nimbler than Martha Stewart’s PR team. They’re The Wired 40.” The top 10:

1. Apple Computer
2. Google
3. Samsung Electronics
4. Amazon.com
5. Yahoo!
6. Electronic Arts
7. Genentech
8. Toyota
9. Infosys Technologies
10. eBay

This is what Wired has to say about Infosys…

Outsourcerer
Last year: 11

The caricature of the Indian outsourcing industry as a voracious monster bent on devouring US jobs isn’t just oversimplified, it’s obsolete. Case in point: Infosys. The Indian coding shop, which garnered $1.1 billion in sales last year, is hiring 500 employees for Infosys Consulting, a $20 million foray into high-end IT advice based in – guess again – Fremont, California. Dirt-cheap outsourcing plus strategic guidance makes for a powerful combination – and one that moves jobs back to the US.

Challenge: Beware the rest of Asia. In the low-cost sweepstakes, China is to India as India is to Western economies.

Opportunity: Do to bloated US consultancies what Dell did to the PC industry.

…and Salesforce.com (No. 20):

Software as Service
New

There was a moment circa 1999 when everyone loved the idea of delivering productivity software as a Web-based service. Then they moved on to the next fad. But Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff stuck to his guns, and today his company helps 13,900 corporate clients manage their customer relations; last year, it brought in $176 million. By eliminating the time and expense of installation, Salesforce.com gains a huge advantage: The company released 17 revisions of its software in the same time Microsoft turned around only two versions of its SQL server.

Challenge: India! If Salesforce.com slows down, it could be steamrolled by an outsourcer.

Opportunity: OK, Benioff – you were right. Now sell the company to IBM.