Bill Gates

Usually, companies under the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Justice aren't the envy of their peers. But Gates and his Microsoft empire are so influential that even the weight of the Justice Department may not be enough to slow this software juggernaut.

Microsoft this year will extend its networking power into directory services, Web-based management, routing and virtual private networks.

Many of these hooks will turn up in Windows NT 5.0 and Windows 98, which is set to ship in the first half of 1998, and in the next version of Microsoft Exchange. Because Microsoft operating systems are on 90% of the desktops out there, Microsoft will become the standard for directory services, Web-based management and other technologies by default. That's what the company is trying to do with its Internet Explorer browser. That's what makes the Justice Department cry foul. That's what makes Microsoft's competitors envious. That's what makes Microsoft and Bill Gates so powerful.

NEXT: Lou Gerstner