Richard ("Rick") Rashid

Senior Vice President, Microsoft Research

Most Important Technology of the Last 40 Years:

The microprocessor. When the steam engine started to get into significant use, it became the answer to every question that engineers had. I would put the microprocessor in the same camp. In the next few years, it won't just be visible devices that contain microprocessors. People are talking about putting computing components in paint.

Most Important Technology for the Coming Decade:

Synergy between different disciplines. Fields are being pulled together by the ability to store dramatic amounts of data—the raw materials of these sciences—and to do data mining and manipulation, which is accelerating the rate at which we conduct research. People are beginning to share ideas and perspectives across disciplines, which is producing whole new sets of opportunities, whether in computation or biology or materials science.

Technology That has Evolved in a Surprising Way:

The unintended consequences of technology. The touch-tone phone in Japan has reached a state where people can type faster on a little 12-digit keypad than they can type on a regular keyboard. You can now buy a device to input data into a PC that's a little 12-digit pad instead of a keyboard.