Best Tech CEOs Of 2012

The best tech CEOs of 2012 all have at least one thing in common, they run massively large technology firms that require countless amounts of oversight. These top mavericks of the technology industry also rank well among their employees for fairness and thoroughness and they have all managed in one way or another to improve their organizations business practices.

While we could easily list a dozen tech CEOs worth of attention here are several favorites we have chosen for 2012.

Tim Cook – Apple

When Steve Jobs passed away analysts quickly turned their attention to newly appointed CEO Tim Cook. Industry watchers worried that Tim Cook’s easier going personality and focus on employees would lead the company away from its Steve Jobs structured hardware and software regime. Cook quickly offered more employee incentives which in turn earned him an industry high 97% approval rating.

One could argue that issues with iOS 6 and iPhone 5 devices should push Tim Cook off this list but his ability to keep Apple stock in check and steer the company towards upcoming offerings places him squarely at the top of the CEO list.

Tim Cook’s best contributions might be his ability to spot products that are simply not working and then move on. For example Apple was unapologetic in its closing of music-based social network Ping.

Google – Larry Page

Larry Page is a cut to the point CEO. During Google’s October earnings call Page ensured investors that Google has a handle on how to effectively distribute content. Page’s example for content distribution? The fact that Google was able to showcase a guy dancing like a horse 500 million times in the Gangham Style video.

Page and his entire teams biggest contribution in the tech world however is likely their ability to distribute deeply fragmented software that is difficult to streamline and yet still turn it into the number one mobile distributed platform in the world.

If I had to weight CEO’s based on current and past performances its hard not to place Larry Page on this list. Page after all is the guy who helped found Google by opening up to web users for information about creating a powerful search engine.

Marissa Mayer – Yahoo

Marissa Mayer made a name for herself as a platform chief at Google, before heading to Yahoo she helped develop various platforms such as Gmail and Google Docs.

After heading to Yahoo Marissa began the tedious task of hiring the best workers in the industry. How does she ensure top talent? Believe it or not she pours over every single resume on her own, ensuring no C-list talent someone makes it onto the Yahoo team.

Most impressively is that Mayer has managed to post a big profit for the most recent quarter. Here are some of the impressive numbers from the new Yahoo CEO:

• Net Revenue:  $1.09 billion vs $1.08 billion expectations.
• Operating income: $152 million vs. $180 million expectations.
• EPS: $.35 vs $0.26 expectations.

Throwing salt into the wound of her competitors is the fact that Marissa Mayer has managed to do all of her impressive work while pregnant.

Yahoo continues to restructure and analysts are examining the company in a more positive light.

Given her focus on platform based initiatives we should see more out of Yahoo in the near future, including a new Yahoo Homepage which just recently leaked online.

Top tech CEOs are focused on innovation, the three CEOs listed above are also focused on bettering their company’s and they have managed to do that in a less than stellar economy.

[Images via 9to5mac, ideastream and forbes]