Top 25 Most Powerful People in U.S. Wireless 2009

What makes a person powerful? That's a tricky question and one that the Fierce editorial team has been carefully contemplating over the past few months as we pulled together our second annual 25 Most Powerful People in U.S. Wireless list.

We think a person's "power" quotient is the right mix of influence, business savvy, leadership and technical innovation. But many of our selections this year have that something extra--a charismatic personality, a brilliant mind or a down-to-earth approachability that makes you want to work with them, for them, or just follow them in the news.

Interestingly, when we compared our 2008 Most Powerful People in Wireless list to this year's list, more than half of the 2008 candidates didn't make this year's cut. The reasons are numerous--some left their jobs, some retired, and some are just no longer powerful (in our opinion) because of their failure (or their company's failure) to make a mark in wireless this year. Article