0Smartest People of 2010Whose minds shined brightest, with the most impact, in the past year? The Daily Beast, aided by a panel of two-dozen MacArthur “genius” fellows, unveils the 20 smartest people of 2010.Updated Jul. 14, 2017 9:27PM EDT / Published Dec. 24, 2010 6:15AM EST Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo,Carolyn Kaster 1, Jon StewartCarolyn Kaster / AP Photo 2, Bill and Melinda GatesPeter Macdiarmid / Getty Images 3, Steve JobsAP Photo 4, Mark ZuckerbergJustin Sullivan / Getty Images 5, J. Craig VenterMatt Houston / AP Photo 6, Julian AssangeCarl Court, AFP / Getty Images 7, Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, Charles Adler 8, Felisa Wolfe-SimonMark Wilson / Getty Images 9, Michelle RheeKevin Dietsch, UPI / Landov 10, Aaron SorkinEvan Agostini / AP Photo 11, Sebastian ThrunVaughn Youtz, Zuma / Newscom 12, Sheri Fink Getty Images 13, Elon Musk Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images 14, Kanye WestBen Hider / Getty Images 15, Christopher Hitchens Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post via Getty Images 16, Patti SmithChris Pizzello / AP Photo 17, Marina AbramovićAndrew H. Walker / Getty Images 18, Kudo TsunodaMario Anzuoni / Reuters 19, Jonathan Franzen interTOPICS / Retna 20, Dennis Crowley, Naveen SelvaduraiPeter Foley / Bloomberg via Getty Images
1, Jon StewartCarolyn Kaster / AP Photo 2, Bill and Melinda GatesPeter Macdiarmid / Getty Images 3, Steve JobsAP Photo 4, Mark ZuckerbergJustin Sullivan / Getty Images 5, J. Craig VenterMatt Houston / AP Photo 6, Julian AssangeCarl Court, AFP / Getty Images 7, Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, Charles Adler 8, Felisa Wolfe-SimonMark Wilson / Getty Images 9, Michelle RheeKevin Dietsch, UPI / Landov 10, Aaron SorkinEvan Agostini / AP Photo 11, Sebastian ThrunVaughn Youtz, Zuma / Newscom 12, Sheri Fink Getty Images 13, Elon Musk Daniel Acker / Bloomberg via Getty Images 14, Kanye WestBen Hider / Getty Images 15, Christopher Hitchens Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post via Getty Images 16, Patti SmithChris Pizzello / AP Photo 17, Marina AbramovićAndrew H. Walker / Getty Images 18, Kudo TsunodaMario Anzuoni / Reuters 19, Jonathan Franzen interTOPICS / Retna 20, Dennis Crowley, Naveen SelvaduraiPeter Foley / Bloomberg via Getty Images