2 min readNew DelhiFeb 13, 2026 10:44 AM IST
Top 10 Greatest Innovators in the US 2026: Innovation has long been a driving force of economic growth and cultural change, and a defining feature of nearly every billion-dollar company.
The 2026 edition of Forbes’ 250 America’s Greatest Innovators, published on Wednesday, reflects that impact.
The report indicates that more than one-third of the 250 individuals are women and people of colour, with many being immigrants who have since obtained American citizenship, highlighting the diverse face of US entrepreneurship.
These innovators are ranked based on factors like creativity, breadth, engagement and commercial impact.
Elon Musk, who rose from modest beginnings, has been ranked No. 1 on America’s Greatest Innovators in 2026.
Musk is the only person who founded five companies across different sectors — Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI and The Boring Company — all with multibillion-dollar valuations.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 61, ranks second, with the report crediting him for transforming the $7.4-trillion US retail industry, while also building Amazon Web Services, a dominant force in cloud computing.
Story continues below this ad
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman also feature for their pathbreaking contributions to software, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, respectively.
George Lucas is recognised for redefining filmmaking through his “Star Wars” franchise, while media entrepreneur Ted Turner is noted for launching CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news channel.
Indian-American businessman and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who founded Khosla Ventures and co-founded Sun Microsystems, is placed 10th on the list.
Top 10 Greatest Innovators in the US: 2026 Edition
1
Elon Musk
Age 54
Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI, The Boring Company
2
Jeff Bezos
Age 61
Amazon, AWS, Blue Origin, Prometheus
3
Bill Gates
Age 70
Microsoft, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
4
George Lucas
Age 81
Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, THX
5
Jensen Huang
Age 62
Nvidia
6
Sam Altman
Age 40
OpenAI
7
Phil Knight
Age 87
Nike
8
Martine Rothblatt
Age 71
SiriusXM, United Therapeutics
9
Ted Turner
Age 87
TBS, CNN, TCM
10
Vinod Khosla
Age 70
Sun Microsystems, Khosla Ventures
Source: Forbes’ 250 America’s Greatest Innovators: 2026 Edition
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Source: Forbes’ 250 America’s Greatest: 2026 Edition
Story continues below this ad
📣 Stay ahead with the most-read reports – click to view the Top 10!
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
