Jack St. Clair Kilby

Co-inventor of the integrated circuit, Texas Instruments Inc. (retired)

Most Important Technology of the Last 40 Years:

The Internet—just the fact that it exists and that it's broadly open to everyone. I don't think that was part of the original plan.

Most Important Technology for the Coming Decade:

The Internet.

Technology That has Evolved in a Surprising Way:

The way that all of the electronics fields have continued to grow surprises me. But I don't think anyone can predict the future.