Don Mattrick - Microsoft

Microsoft

Following his retirement from Electronic Arts in February 2007, Mattrick was asked by Robbie Bach to serve as an external advisor to the Entertainment and Devices Division. In July 2007, Mattrick then officially joined Microsoft as a Senior Vice President overseeing the Xbox 360 and PC gaming businesses. In the three years since Mattrick has overseen the division, the Xbox 360 installed base has grown from 10 million to more than 50 million worldwide, while the Xbox LIVE membership has increased from 6 million to over 30 million. At the same time Mattrick is recognized for moving the interactive business from an operating loss into a sustained and profitable business for the company.

Mattrick is also largely credited for his work in bringing Kinect for Xbox 360 to life. Mattrick unveiled Kinect under the code-name of “Project Natal” at E3 2009 on stage with Steven Spielberg. Kinect which is a “controller-free gaming and entertainment experience” for Xbox 360 launched in November 2010 worldwide and sold over 8 million units in the first 60 days, making it the fastest-selling consumer electronic device, according to Guinness World Records. By early March 2011, the device reached 10 million in device sales. The product has been seen as highly innovative and has won numerous awards including being named one of the top inventions of the year from Time Magazine.

In October 2010, Mattrick was promoted to President of the Interactive Entertainment Business, a role that has him reporting directly to the CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer. In this role he is responsible for a collection of consumer businesses including Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, Zune Music and Video, Mediaroom, as well as PC and mobile interactive entertainment.

Fortune Magazine in August 2011 named Don Mattrick one of the “Smartest People in Tech 2011” largely highlighting his ability to turn around the Xbox business and drive new consumer innovations like Kinect. In May 2012, Don Mattrick was named one of CNN Money’s top 10 brilliant technology visionaries.