Eric Schmidt of Novell. He presided over a period of decline at Novell where its IPX protocol was being replaced by open TCP/IP products, while at the same time Microsoft was shipping free TCP/IP stacks in Windows 95, making Novell much less profitable. In 2001, he departed after the acquisition of Cambridge Technology Partners. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin interviewed Schmidt. Impressed by him, they recruited Schmidt to run their company in 2001 under the guidance of venture capitalists John Doerr and Michael Moritz. In March 2001, Schmidt joined Google's board of directors as chairman, and became the company's CEO
Martin E. Franklin Franklin served as its CEO. He was the youngest CEO of a corporation listed on the NYSE. They sold the company to Essilor for US$300 million in 1996. Franklin attempted to acquire the Alltristra Corporation with Ian Ashken in 2000. When their bid failed, they became activist boards members. By 2001, Franklin became its CEO while Ashken became its chief financial officer. Meanwhile, the two men renamed it the Jarden Corporation. Franklin served as its chairman and chief executive from 2001 to 2011. Since 2011, he has served as its executive chairman. As executive chairman of Jarden, Franklin earned US$44