Steven Paul Jobs was an American entrepreneur, inventor, business magnate, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar; and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT. He is widely recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, along with his early business partner and fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

As the initial creator of upscale, user-friendly technology, Steve Jobs' accomplishments continue to have profound effects today. The competition created from the introduction of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad has revolutionized the technology industry. Consumers have benefited from developments in phones and computing and have a wider array of choices when purchasing computers, phones, and tablets. Therefore, without a doubt, Steve Jobs definitely tops the list of most successful CEOs.

Full name: Steven Paul Jobs

Born: February 24, 1955, San Francisco, California, U.S.

Died: October 5, 2011 (aged 56)

Company: Apple Inc., Pixar, Atari

Both philanthropist and ruthless baron of the Standard Oil Company, Rockefeller became America’s first billionaire in 1916. At the time, Rockefeller was worth nearly 2 percent of the national economy, and adjusted for inflation, his fortune would be worth around $24 billion today. For richest-man Bezos to command a similar share of the economy today, he’d have to more than double his net worth to roughly $399.2 billion.

Rockefeller is believed to have been the wealthiest American in history. And thanks to his resolute leadership style, he’s also one of the most successful businessmen to ever live. In his book, “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller Sr.,” the award-winning historian recounts Rockefeller’s various management principles, which not only helped him to revolutionize the petroleum industry, but propelled him to fame and fortune.

Full name: John Davison Rockefeller Sr.

Born: July 8, 1839, Richford, New York, U.S.

Died: May 23, 1937 (aged 97)

Company: Standard Oil, Exxon Mobil

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was one of the most successful businessmen and most recognized philanthropists in history. His entrepreneurial ventures in America's steel industry earned him millions and he, in turn, made great contributions to social causes such as public libraries, education and international peace.

Andrew Carnegie was the pioneering tycoon of the Age of Steel. His steel empire produced the raw materials that built the physical infrastructure of the United States. He was a catalyst in America's participation in the Industrial Revolution, as he produced the steel to make machinery and transportation possible throughout the nation.

In his later life, he began to shift from a focus on industrialism to a more philanthropic view on life. Carnegie became the world's benefactor to education, as he is responsible for the construction and donation of approximately 2,509 public libraries in the United States, Europe and around the world.

Full name: Andrew Carnegie

Born: November 25, 1835, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Died: August 11, 1919

Company: Homestead Steel Works, Pennsylvania Railroad, Keystone Bridge Company

Sam Walton was an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew to be the world's largest corporation by revenue as well as the biggest private employer in the world. For a period of time, Walton was the richest man in America.

Walton was responsible for a lot of the success. His vision of a discount retail store in rural areas was accompanied by the founder’s hard-charging, demanding style. Walton, who often began his work days at 4:30 in the morning, expected results from those beneath him, and wasn’t afraid to change course or reshuffle his personnel if he didn’t like the numbers that came back to him.

Even in the grips of a recession, Walton’s stores proved successful. In 1991, as the country was mired in an economic downturn, Walmart increased sales by more than 40 percent. But that success also made Walmart a target, especially for small-town merchants and other residents who argued the giant chain was wiping out a community’s smaller stores and downtown retail. Walton, however, tried to meet those fears head-on, promising jobs and donations to local charities, which the company often delivered in some fashion.

Full name: Samuel Moore Walton

Born: March 29, 1918, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, U.S.

Died: April 5, 1992

Company: Walmart, J. C. Penney

Henry Ford was an American industrialist and a business magnate, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and the sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Although Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line, he developed and manufactured the first automobile that many middle-class Americans could afford. In doing so, Ford converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into a practical conveyance that would profoundly impact the landscape of the 20th century.

His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As the owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and most successful CEOs in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers.

Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to control the company permanently.

Full name: Henry Ford

Born: July 30, 1863, Springwells Township, Michigan, U.S.

Died: April 7, 1947 (aged 83)

Company: Henry Ford Company, James F. Flower & Bros, Detroit Dry Dock Co

Sakichi Toyoda (1867 – 1930) was a Japanese inventor, industrialist and the founder of Toyota Industries Co., Ltd. Sakichi Toyoda revolutionized the textiles industry in Japan He is sometimes called the Japanese Thomas Edison.

Sakichi Toyoda’s most famous invention was the automatic power loom in which he implemented the principle of Jidoka (autonomous automation). The principle of Jidoka, which means that the machine stops itself when a problem occurs, later became a part of the Toyota Production System (TPS).

Sakichi Toyoda is also famous for development of the concept of 5 Whys: When a problem occurs, ask “why” five times in order to find the source of the problem, then put into place something to prevent the problem from recurring. This concept is used today as part of applying LEAN methodologies to solve problems, improve quality, and reduce costs.

Full name: Sakichi Toyoda

Born: February 14, 1867, Kosai, Shizuoka, Japan

Died: October 30, 1930 (aged 63)

Company: Toyota Boshoku Corporation, Toyota Industries

Raymond Albert Kroc was an American businessman. He purchased the fast food company McDonald's in 1961 and was its CEO from 1967 to 1973. Kroc is credited with the global expansion of McDonald's, turning it into the most successful fast food corporation in the world. Due to the company's growth under Kroc, he has also been referred to as the founder of the McDonald's Corporation.

He built McDonald's Corporation into one of the most successful and most admired companies in the history of the United States. His legacy and actions have had a dramatic influence on hospitality professionals around the world and he is unquestionably an industry pioneer.

Full name: Raymond Albert Kroc

Born: October 5, 1902, Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.

Died: January 14, 1984 (aged 81)

Company: McDonald's

Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net worth of over $116 billion as of May 2022, making him the world's fifth-wealthiest person.

He developed an interest in business at a young age, which influenced his career and the course he studied at the university. Buffett initially enrolled in the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1946 and later completed his higher education course in the University of Nebraska.

He later proceeded to Columbia Business School where he developed his business philosophy around value investing. Through his American multinational conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett owns about 60 companies operating in various industries. Buffett’s investment success stems from his interest in business and core business values, business philosophy and investment strategy, and a secure investing style.

Full name: Warren Edward Buffett

Born: August 30, 1930, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Company: Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett Partnership Ltd., Graham-Newman Corp

Entrepreneur Elon Musk has achieved global fame as the chief executive of electric autos maker Tesla Inc. (TSLA), the CEO and lead designer of his space company SpaceX, and, more recently, as the world's richest human. Musk co-founded PayPal (PYPL), was an early investor in Tesla, and in April 2022 negotiated a deal to take Twitter Inc. (TWTR) private.

Considered as one of the most successful CEOs, his success and personal style has given rise to comparisons to other colorful tycoons from U.S. history, including Steve Jobs, Howard Hughes, and Henry Ford.

He was the richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $224 billion as of May 15, 2022. Musk achieved that distinction in 2021, surpassing Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos.

Full name: Elon Reeve Musk

Born: June 28, 1971, Pretoria, South Africa

Company: SolarCity, Tesla Motors

Jack Leonard Warner was a Canadian-American film executive, born in Canada, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some 45 years, its duration surpassing that of any other of the seminal Hollywood studio moguls.

As co-head of production at Warner Bros. Studios, he worked with his brother, Sam Warner, to procure the technology for the film industry's first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927). After Sam's death, Jack clashed with his surviving older brothers, Harry and Albert Warner. He assumed exclusive control of the film production company in the 1950s, when he secretly purchased his brothers' shares in the business after convincing them to participate in a joint sale of stocks.

Although Warner was feared by many of his employees and inspired ridicule with his uneven attempts at humor, he earned respect for his shrewd instincts and tough-mindedness. He recruited many of Warner Bros.' top stars and promoted the hard-edged social dramas for which the studio became known. Given to decisiveness, Warner once commented, "If I'm right fifty-one percent of the time, I'm ahead of the game."

Full name: Jack Leonard Warner

Born: August 2, 1892, London, Ontario, Canada

Died: September 9, 1978 (aged 86)

Company: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts