Table of Contents:VOL. 155, NO. 9 - May 14, 2007

COVER STORIES
Business is back
By Geoff Colvin, Fortune senior editor-at-large
Profits are booming, tech is resurgent, and CEOs are speaking out again.
The story of an amazing comeback. (more)

FEATURES
NBC’s man on the spot
By Patricia Sellers, Fortune editor-at-large
Straight out of a sitcom: the mishaps and madcap adventures of NBC Universal
chief Jeff Zucker. (more)

Union man
John Edwards thinks a new labor movement is the answer to the country’s great
divide. Should corporate America be afraid of him? By Nina Easton

The man with the golden gut
By Stephanie N. Mehta, Fortune senior writer
How Haim Saban, a flinty self-made billionaire, plans to turn Univision into the
next great network - and put Hillary Clinton in the White House. (more)

The turnaround
How Fiat, once a wreck of a car company, got hot again. By Stephan Faris


TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT

The smartest (or the nuttiest) futurist on Earth
Ray Kurzweil is a legendary inventor with a history of mind-blowing ideas. Now he’s
onto something even bigger. If he’s right, the future will be a lot weirder?and
brighter. By Brian O’Keefe

Innovators at the gate
Call them entrepreneurs or troublemakers, these 24 disruptive individuals have
gone up against the odds as they’ve rattled old industries and tried to create
new ones. (more)
• The smartest futurist on Earth


FIRST

Sallie Mae’s private side
By Bethany McLean, Fortune editor-at-large
J.C. Flowers may want Sallie Mae for its private-loan business. But that could
lead to public headaches. By Be thany McLean (more)

Helen Walton’s will
By Carol J. Loomis, Fortune editor-at-large
The death of Sam Walton’s widow at 87 last month may finally turn America’s richest family into one of the country’s most charitable. (more)


DISPATCHES

Return of Ma and Pa Banker
From the mountains to the prairies, local banks are producing returns that make the multinationals envious. By Matthew Boyle


COLUMNS

Value Driven
Signs of disrespect for education bode ill for our future. By Geoff Colvin


INVESTING

Smart plays in the M&A boom
Buyouts and takeovers are driving the market. Here’s how to get in on the action
without getting burned. By Yuval Rosenberg


BUSINESS LIFE

Making waves
As billionaires battle for the America’s Cup, complaints and criticism erupt
onshore. By Chris Redman

Joy ride
British wit and brawn: A sneak peek at the Jaguar XKR. By Sue Zesiger Callaway