Steve Case & Jerry Levin

AOL Chairman & AOL CEO

Given the big egos of CEOs, it's no surprise that when companies merge, one boss usually departs. But since the creation of AOL Time Warner in January 2000, chairman Steve Case, 43, and CEO Jerry Levin, 62, have shown a unity of purpose at odds with the B-school case studies. It helps that they share a vision: subscriptions. Add up AOL, cable TV and magazines, and they have 137 million people mailing in payments. This year the duo clung for too long to profit promises they couldn't keep. But as they direct Warner Bros., CNN and the Time Inc. magazines, Case and Levin wield unrivaled influence on global culture.

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