LARRY PAGE and SERGEY BRIN

Chosen because: Though Google's self-driving car project has gained more independence from its parent company under CEO John Krafcik, the program would not have advanced as quickly without the support of Google's co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The project originally began under Google X, the company's laboratory for "moonshot" ideas, but it quickly developed beyond a futuristic product idea as autonomous Google cars began taking to Mountain View, Calif., roads. Driverless cars may seem like a major departure for a company that began as a search engine, but Brin and Page -- both 43 and now president and CEO, respectively, of Google parent Alphabet -- have loftier goals, including eliminating traffic deaths and backing new mobility ventures, including flying cars.