UK Tech 100: The 100 most influential people shaping British technology in 2019

• Welcome to Business Insider’s UK Tech 100.
• Every year, we track down and showcase the 100 most influential and interesting people impacting the British technology industry.
• From budding entrepreneurs to intrepid regulators, these are the top 100 people you really need to know in the UK tech scene today.
• Rockstar engineers, ambitious politicians, fearless campaigners and rising TikTok stars all made the list in 2019.
  
  
• Keep reading to see who’s really making a difference — and who’s number one.

Throughout 2019, the British technology and startup scene has been roiled by powerful forces.

Political uncertainty, the the distorting financial impact of mega-funders like SoftBank, and increased public skepticism about tech’s utopian promises have all left a mark.

It would be easy to feel gloomy. But the technology industry remains a major bright spot for the UK economically, bringing in £184 billion in revenue last year. And the sector is full to the brim of exciting entrepreneurs chasing world-changing ideas, hitting new milestones and breaking new ground.

Every year, Business Insider publishes the UK Tech 100 — our list of the 100 most interesting, innovative, and influential people shaping the UK tech scene, whether that’s visionary founders building global firms out of Britain, or regulators grappling with Silicon Valley titans.

This year’s constellation of entrepreneurs, technologists, investors, scientists, and critics demonstrates that the UK is easily capable of building a wide range of fast-growing, global businesses that attract serious investment both here and abroad — while also leading the pack on grappling with tech’s social impacts.

Our ranking focuses on those who have done cool or impactful work since last year’s UK Tech 100 in October 2018— whether that’s building a fascinating and fast-growing company, having a good eye for red-hot investments, or riding the mercurial wave of internet virality.

Keep reading to see who made the UK Tech 100 in 2019 — and who’s number one.

Editing by Shona Ghosh, Rob Price, and Steven Tweedie. Jake Kanter, Callum Burroughs, Shona Ghosh, and Rob Price contributed reporting.