A Year Of Living DangerouslyA Year Of Living Dangerously

A number of our best-known industry leaders certainly received their share of media attention in 2001. Here's how we'll remember their achievements in this roller-coaster ride of a year:

Carly Fiorina: Under The Gun Time's running out on the Hewlett-Packard--Compaq merger as Wall Street investors and HP heirs give her deal a resounding thumbs down.

Larry Ellison: Overblown Is there a more relentless self-promoter than Oracle's CEO? This guy should teach a class at Stanford. And don't forget the self-help book, the Web site, and the syndicated talk show.

Scott McNealy: Underwhelming Sun had a great run during the dot-com boom, but McNealy and Co. seem to be losing some street cred as they search for the next big thing. Maybe Scott should take Larry's class.

John Chambers: Overly Optimistic Did the Cisco head think the party would never end? This Wall Street darling came crashing down hard this year.

Lou Gerstner: Over And Out The soon-to-retire IBM chief turned this behemoth around in its darkest hours and reigned over one of the most successful periods in the company's history. Gerstner did something that seemed impossible--he made IBM hip again.

Bill Gates: Over The Hump Microsoft's fearless leader got his Christmas wish, and then some, with the Justice Department settlement, a successful Windows XP launch, and a foray into the video-game market with the Xbox.

Meg Whitman: Overachiever Economic boom or bust, the eBay leader can do no wrong. The online auctioneer is flying high with consumers and businesses unloading their gear online. Virtual auctions--who'd-a-thunk it?

Michael Armstrong: Just Plain Over AT&T's CEO has the dubious distinction of dismantling one of the grand old companies of the IT industry. It's a sad day in Basking Ridge.