Agenda Setters: Where are they now... Niklas Zennström

As the countdown begins to silicon.com's sixth annual Agenda Setters poll of tech's 50 most influential individuals, it is time to look back at those individuals who held top 10 positions in 2004. Today we see what Skype's Niklas Zennström has been up to.

Last year Skype CEO and co-founder Niklas Zennström was an up-and-comer. He jumped on the Agenda Setters list at an impressive number three - especially considering it was his debut.

He earned a spot for his role in building businesses around disruptive technologies - first P2P file-sharing network Kazaa and then VoIP player Skype. At the time of the 2004 poll, Skype had received its fair amount of hype but, looking back, it's nothing compared to what's happened over the past 12 months.

Downloads and users for the Skype VoIP application have skyrocketed. The app has moved onto PDAs (not just PCs) and moved into China, Japan and other global markets.

Zennström is talking up a Skype for Business product and there are reports Skype is stealing revenues from telecoms companies.

It's rated as the top VoIP provider in terms of number of calls placed and minutes talked. And a varied ecosystem of third-party developers has risen around it.

Now, of course, Skype is no longer just Skype. It's eBay's new toy, after Zennström engineered the multibillion-dollar acquisition.

Looking ahead, it's hard to say what sort of influence Zennström will exert over the eBay-owned Skype. With acquisitions, it's generally a crapshoot over whether the execs will play active roles in the new combined company, or fade into the background and eventually leave to spend their riches or start a new venture.

But it's clear VoIP is shaking up the big telcos and Skype is playing a major role in that effort. So we're betting Zennström rates high again this year, as his second attempt at building a business around a disruptive technology turns out a bit more successfully than his first.

silicon.com's Agenda Setters panel, made up again of CIOs, analysts, VCs, consultants, lawyers, academics and other experts, convenes in September at our London offices with the results revealed at the end of the month. If you want to pass on your comments for our experts - about Niklas Zennström or any other contender - drop us an email at editorial@silicon.com.