Forbes names '30 under 30' who make a difference

5:59 PM difference, Forbes, names, under No Comments

AP

Forbes' list has many movers and shakers making the world a better place. It also has Justin Bieber.

Why does Forbes hate America?

OK, maybe they don’t. Forbes is actually a content partner of msnbc.com's. But Forbes editors have to realize they are annoying most of America with their “30 under 30” piece published this week.

Roughly all Americans of working age under 30 will be jealous. And those who struggle to recall their long-ago 30th (raises hand) will feel totally inadequate.

Forbes took 12 industries and chose 30 people who are “making a difference” right now in each field. The other qualification is, naturally, that they be under 30 years of age.

“It was fascinating to become acquainted with these people,” said Caroline Howard, a Forbes editor who helped lead the project. “Some of these people you don’t hear too much about, like (the ones in) energy, or the smaller fashion industry, or even finance.”

“We want employers to know that these are the kind of people you should be hiring, or that may be hiring you someday,” she said.

Forbes started working on the project in late October, coming up with the categories and assembling a panel of judges to make the calls.

“It was daunting to us as editors and reporters, but once people started drilling down, names started to surface again and again, or they obviously deserved a place on the list,” Howard said.

Plenty of people on the list, particularly in the entertainment and music sections, are part of the public vocabulary (is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg still really only 27?). Actor Jonah Hill and NBA superstar LeBron James, for example, along with singers Adele and Lady Gaga. And – unfortunately – Justin Bieber (17).

Some others you might not be familiar with, such as ...

Jack Abraham, 25, entrepreneur, sold his local search site Milo to eBay for $75 million.Betsy Hoover, 28, director of online organizing, Obama for America 2012.Jacob Kassay, 27, painter who sells works for six-figure amounts.Ciara Metcalfe, 28, postdoctoral fellow at Genentech, specializing in stem cell research.Nicholas Allegra, 19, now an Apple intern after gaining fame as first one to “jailbreak” an iPhone.Johnathan Wingo, 29, manager, The Whiskey Shop in Brooklyn, N.Y. (call us).

That’s just for starters.