Google didn't have much to fear and saw Android climb to 52.6 percent, even if its ascent wasn't as rapid as that of its Bay Area neighbor.

ENGADGET: ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent

As if Jennings's ascent isn't strange enough, here's where it gets downright bizarre: The people in his corner insist that his day job actually helps Jennings as a boxer.

WSJ: This Top Heavyweight Has a Day Job

Strikingly, at least by House and Price's account, employees' pursuit of wealth wasn't a big factor in HP's ascent.

FORBES: Book Review

"The old paradigm of creating a secure zone within the physical perimeter of the company, using network firewalls and intrusion-detection systems, has reached the limits of effectiveness, " says the 34-year-old CEO, whose careful attention to his non-native English can't mask his enthusiasm for the company's ascent.

CNN: Virus protection coming for wireless users

The December 2010 flight, much shorter and less demanding than this weekend's effort, wasn't without problems: the rocket experienced some engine hiccups on ascent.

WSJ: SpaceX's Pioneering Flight Plans