25 most powerful people in business

CEO, Wal-Mart

Why is Lee Scott still on this list? Sales growth at Wal-Mart has stalled; it's embroiled in a class-action employee lawsuit; Scott has led botched forays into fashion and home décor; and, of course, the company name has become a byword for middlebrow values with a dash of naked capitalism. But he's here because Wal-Mart is still America's biggest company (2006 revenues: $351 billion), and Scott still runs the place. About one of every ten non-auto retail dollars in the U.S. is spent at a Wal- Mart. It is also the nation's biggest energy consumer, its biggest real estate developer, and its biggest non-government employer. More than that, the company may be turning a corner. Healthy profits in its most recent quarter bode well for the holiday, and Scott is pushing a slew of eco-friendly initiatives that are alleviating some of that bad PR. --Matthew Boyle