Americans Rank The Most Influential Modern-day Entrepreneurs

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Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs are considered the top three most influential modern entrepreneurs, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 Americans gave respondents a list of over 40 entrepreneurs from the last 50 years and asked them to select those who’ve made the biggest positive impact on society.

Respondents chose the founders of Microsoft, Amazon and Apple to top the list, with Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX) and Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) rounding out the top five.

Following them, respondents chose Oprah Winfrey (co-founder of Oxygen, founder of O, The Oprah Magazine), Melinda Gates (co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and Sam Walton (founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club).

Larry Page (co-founder of Google) and Ted Turner (founder of Cable News Network (CNN) completed the top 10 list.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Herbalife Nutrition, the survey asked respondents about the impact of modern entrepreneurs compared to their historical counterparts and looked at the characteristics that made a good entrepreneur.

Before seeing the pre-selected list of modern entrepreneurs, respondents were asked to write the names of the entrepreneurs they feel are the “greatest of all time.” Among others, historical luminaries like Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison were featured multiple times in respondents’ answers.

The survey found that 48% of respondents believe modern entrepreneurs are more influential than their historical counterparts, while 20% said the opposite, believing modern entrepreneurs are actually less influential.

“Entrepreneurs change our world for the better with their out-of-the-box thinking, and their inventions have a great impact on our lives and society,” said Ibi Montesino, executive vice president of distributor and customer experience at Herbalife Nutrition.

The survey was also conducted in Mexico and Israel and the results revealed some interesting differences in how respondents view entrepreneurs.

A third of U.S. respondents see entrepreneurs as role models, compared to 74% of those in Mexico and 60% of respondents in Israel.

For those who do see entrepreneurs as role models, respondents said the entrepreneur’s personal accomplishments (24%) and their contributions to society (22%) mattered the most.

Across all three countries, 42% even said they have a “big” idea that could turn into a successful business — which might be why respondents think having “one” great idea is such an important trait in a successful entrepreneur.

“While there are numerous character traits that go into making a successful entrepreneur, the ones we work with, day in and day out, all have a common theme – they demonstrate a commitment to hard work and surrounding themselves with a supportive community,” said Montesino.

Produced in association with SWNS Research.