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Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu's big ideas on open source wireless communications in the U.S. made a splash in the International Journal of Communication, and soon after, a much splashier splash (think "Gphone" cannonball) over at Google.

The paper spread like juicy gossip around the Googleplex. Wu's vision resonated because Google had become frustrated with phone companies that were blocking some Google applications from being used on phones attached to their networks. Like Wu, Google believes an alliance based on openness will trigger a new wave of innovation. "Tim helped us catalyze a strategy," says Chris Sacca, head of special initiatives at Google. "He's a singular force in this space. You're just seeing the start of what he's going to accomplish."