Where They Are Now

Click here to let us know which once-prominent business leaders and innovators you want to catch up on, and the Fast Company team will do its best to get the goods on those long gone.

• What We Learned
• A Brief History
• Profiles
• Vocabulary
• Where Are They Now?
• What You Learned

Philippe Kahn

Then: CEO and Chairman, Borland International

Now: Philippe Kahn now serves as CEO, chairman, and cofounder of Lightsurf Technologies Inc., a Santa Cruz, California-based company specializing in open standards multimedia messaging services, picture messaging, and premium content delivery. The company launched in 1998 after Kahn sold Starfish Software, which he founded in 1994. Previously, Kahn founded Borland in 1982, serving as CEO until 1994. In 2002, the International Imaging Industry Association selected Kahn to receive its Leadership of the Year Award. Additionally, Kahn cofounded the Lee-Kahn Foundation, which sponsors nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing access to education, healthcare, and the arts.

Date Requested: Feb. 16, 2004
Correspondent: Gregory Prokter, Softex International

Kahn and Steve Ballmer courtesy of Dan Bricklin.

Jane Metcalfe and Louis Rossetto

Then: Cofounders, Wired Ventures Inc.

Now: Jane Metcalfe and Louis Rossetto left Wired Ventures in 2000. Wired magazine was purchased by Conde Nast, and Wired Digital was acquired by Lycos. Metcalfe is a partner in Forca, an independent investment firm focusing on technology, media, and real estate. She is also a board member of the Expression Center for New Media, a for-profit educational facility in Emeryville, California; Ground Zero: The Art and Technology Network, a nonprofit startup that promotes new media art; and One Economy Corp., a nonprofit startup that helps low-income people participate in the New Economy. Although Rossetto is Metcalfe's partner, the Web is less forthcoming about his current activities. Listed as a "thinker" for General Thinking, an international network focusing on innovation, his bio indicates that he is "now helping others realize their dreams by investing in start ups, funding troublemakers, and supporting various do-gooders."

Date Requested: Feb. 19, 2004

Metcalfe and Rossetto courtesy of Fred Davis.

Halsey Minor

Then: Founder, CNET Networks

Now: After building CNET into a Nasdaq 100 company, Halsey Minor became chairman emeritus in 2000. He now works as CEO and , chairman of the board for Grand Central Communications, a business process integrator he founded several years ago. Last year, Grand Central was named a Top 100 Company by AlwaysOn, and InfoWorld recognized its products and services as a Technology of the Year, dubbing it the "best Web services integration solution."

Date Requested: Feb. 19, 2004