Michael Moritz

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: A former journalist (he served as the San Francisco–bureau chief for Time), Moritz, 54, is regarded as the most powerful venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. Among his prescient investments: Google, PayPal, and Yahoo.

HIRING TECHNIQUE: “Given the choice between cutoffs and sandals or cuff links and Brioni, we’re going to take the first every time.”

QUOTE: “We had the good fortune of seeing a lot of the things and habits that tend to lead to the downfall and demise of young companies, and it’s helpful to have a litany of them to refer to from time to time.”