These tech founders and pioneers have had an outsize influence not just on the global economy, but also on our day-to-day lives
Google, YouTube, Tencent—these tech juggernauts have changed the way we interact with information and communicate with one other. As technology becomes more ingrained in every action that consumers make throughout every day, the world's biggest tech companies have also become the engines that power the world's economies. And, as Asia embraces digital transformation on a massive scale, the region has also become an important market and a hotspot for innovation: the Financial Times reports that between 2006 to 2008 and from 2016 to 2018, Asia was responsible for 52 per cent of growth in revenue of tech companies.
Behind these groundbreaking companies are the internet titans on Asia’s Most Influential list. Their desire to create solutions for everyday problems has led to the biggest innovations in the world. And though some have moved on from their creations, these tech whizzes are still following their inquisitive nature in hopes of finding the next big breakthrough that will make life better.
Also read: These automotive-industry captains are leading the charge to the future of mobility
Sergey Brin, co-founder, Google (Singapore)
What is more meta than Googling Sergey Brin? The results on the search engine leads to the story of Google itself: the Russian-born computer scientist, together with Larry Page, whom he met while in Stanford University’s graduate program, wanted to create a search engine based on data and links, a project that would eventually be launched as Google in 1998. Today, Google is the most visited website in the world, with over 80 billion answer-seekers keying in top searches such as “YouTube”, which Google acquired in 2006; the game “Wordle”; tennis star “Rafael Nadal” and “overnight oats” every month. In 2015, Google became part of the holding company Alphabet Inc, with Brin as its president until he stepped down in 2019. The founder continues to serve on Alphabet’s board of directors.
Beyond Google, Brin, who ranks 14th in Forbes 2023 World’s Billionaires List with US$76 billion, set up his family office in Singapore to manage his wealth. The innovator is also involved in LTA Research & Exploration, the aerospace firm that develops next-generation airships as a zero-carbon mode of transportation. On May 2023, the company’s 400-foot-long and 66-foot-wide Pathfinder 1 flew inside Hangar 2 at Moffett Field for five minutes. LTA is preparing for the craft’s extended outdoor flight.
