They may have worked alongside the next Richard Branson or the next Bill Gates.

ECONOMIST: What makes a ��global leader��? INSEAD's dean has a few ideas

And who knows, maybe one of them or one of the folks in the audience here today will be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Signs the JOBS Act

If you do that, you will be on your way to becoming the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.

FORBES

At an August 6, 2010 conference in Lake Tahoe, the richest and smartest guy in the room, Bill Gates, offered his opinion on the next big thing.

FORBES: The Trillion Dollar IQ Business

As the richest man in the world, billionaire Carlos Slim Helu has sent a message by omission, by not agreeing to the charity pledge put forth by the next two men on the Forbes billionaires list, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

FORBES: Why Has Carlos Slim Not Agreed To The Buffett-Gates Pledge? Make Him A Better Offer

Adams also recalls the time Bill Gates showed up at NeXT for a meeting.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

Ask Bill Gates what advice he'd offer the next U.S. president to improve American competitiveness and innovation, and he gives a wry chuckle.

FORBES: Ruthless Philanthropy

By Timothy Leary's account, maybe Bill Gates is the one to lead us as a hero of the next millennium.

CNN: Utopians? Dystopians? (Let's call the whole thing off)

Now, thanks to a grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the iShack project will be trialled over the next year.

CNN: High-tech shack brings solar power to slums