Sergey Brin

Many people have never heard of Sergey Brin, yet almost everyone has used his best-known invention. Google's name has become an everyday verb, and his search engine grew from a project he and his classmate Larry Page began as students at Stanford University into a company that also built services such as Gmail, Google Earth and Google Images.

Brin's story reaches well beyond the tech industry. As a young child he and his family left the Soviet Union in search of freedom in the United States. As an adult he has publicly opposed government plans to reduce the number of immigrants admitted to the country, arguing that America should remain a place where newcomers can build a better life, as it did for him. He also backs efforts to fight climate change by investing in energy sources that do not release gases that warm the planet. Parkinson's disease runs in his family, and he supports scientists and organizations working on better treatments for it.

In 2019 Brin stepped down as the head of Google, but he has not stopped looking for ways to use advanced technology to improve the world.