John T. Chambers

President and CEO, Cisco Systems Inc.

Most Important Technology of the Last 40 Years:

The Internet.

Most Important Technology for the Coming Decade:

Affordable broadband Internet access in every home.

Technology That has Evolved in a Surprising Way:

The inconsistent build-out of broadband. The United States originally led the world in broadband deployment but has fallen dramatically behind. Other countries—Japan, South Korea, China, the UK, Germany—are moving much faster than we are, with nationally sponsored broadband programs. It's really the technology, combined with educational opportunities and a supportive government, that ultimately fosters successful technology implementations. We've taken the first steps toward this, but we have a long way to go.