Business 2.0 just released its list of "50 Who Matter Now" and "10 People Who Don't Matter". These winners and losers were chosen by the entire Business 2.0 editorial staff. This wasn't a list of the rich and famous, resting on former glories. The publication states, "Instead, our goal was to identify people whose ideas, products, and business insights are changing the world we live in today." And apparently, Ken Kutaragi is not. Business 2.0 writes:

Remember the Betamax debacle? Sony seems to have forgotten all about it. Under Kutaragi, who is the power behind Sony's PlayStation videogame consoles, the company is launching another format war with its Blu-Ray high-definition videodisc, the successor to the venerable DVD. Unfortunately, the PlayStation 3, which was supposed to put Blu-Ray into millions of living rooms, is months late and hundreds of dollars more expensive than competing consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo - largely because it includes one-of-a-kind technologies like Blu-Ray. The delays and cost overruns are likely to make both the PS3 and Blu-Ray nonstarters.

How sad. Happiness after the jump.

The list did include some winners like Blizzard honcho Mike Morhaime, about whom Business 2.0 writes:

It's easy to dismiss World of Warcraft as just another videogame. Easy, but dead wrong. The spectacularly popular MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) developed by Morhaime's company is the planet's biggest and fastest-growing virtual world — launched just 18 months ago, it already boasts 6.5 million players (including more than 3 million Chinese). Each player pays $15 a month for the experience, bringing Blizzard and parent Vivendi $700 million in revenue last year. Far more interesting, however, is the scope of the WoW economy: Virtual gold pieces and character enhancements are put up for sale in thousands of eBay auctions, while third-party resellers offer virtual currency trading services. In China, meanwhile, hordes of "gold farmers" earn a living by selling the fruits of their WoW labors to time-strapped players in the United States. Industrywide, the out-of-game MMOG economy has grown to $200 million — from zero just a few years ago — in tandem with the growth of WoW. In other words, the Metaverse is finally open for business.

Getting pwned by Morhaime and coming in one spot behind is our own Nick Denton, Gawker Media's bossman. Here's what the publication had to say:

Denton says he's not in the blog-publishing business for the money. (Though, given that competitor Jason Calacanis's blog empire fetched $25 million from AOL, Denton's could be worth as much as $35 million.) So take him at his word: Money, schmoney. Besides, Denton's editorial strategy — publishing the blogs that influence the nation's influencers — has been a smashing success when gauged by a more elusive currency: power. His surgically targeted titles take aim at the New York media (Gawker), Beltway pols (Wonkette), Hollywood moguls (Defamer), and Silicon Valley techies (Valleywag). Combining a signature mix of news, gossip, celebrity worship, and snark (not necessarily in that order), Denton's properties shape the conversation among the heavy hitters who read them.

Crocodile tears for Kutaragi, cheers to Morhaime and Nick! Brian Ashcraft

More Here [CNN Money]