| Time 100 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Influence |
| Date | Annually since 2004; 21 years ago (2004) |
| Presented by | Time magazine |
| Website | time.com/100-most-influential-people |
TheTime 100 is a list published by the Americannews magazineTime of the 100 most influential people in the world. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly publicized annual event. It is generally considered an honor to be included on the list, but, much like the magazine'sPerson of the Year,Time makes it clear that entrants are recognized for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions. The final list of influential individuals is exclusively chosen byTime editors, with nominations coming from theTime 100 alumni and the magazine's international writing staff.[1] Only the winner of the Reader's Poll, conducted days before the official list is revealed, is chosen by the general public.[2] The corresponding commemorative gala is held annually inManhattan, and has emerged as one of the world's most celebrated galas as well ashighfashion events.
In 2019,Time began publishing theTime 100 Next list, which "spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more".[3]
In 2000,Time's editors identified "three rather distinct qualities" when choosing people to be listed.Time's editor-at-large Michael Elliott wrote:
First there were those who came to their status by means of a very public possession of power. PresidentGeorge W. Bush is the pre-eminent example others, though they are rarely heard from in public, nonetheless have a real influence on the great events of our time. Think ofAli Husaini Sistani, theGrand Ayatullah of Iraq'sShi'ites, who in effect has a veto on plans to transfer power from those who occupy his country to its people. Still others affect our lives through their moral example. ConsiderNelson Mandela's forgiveness of his captors and his willingness to walk away from theSouth African presidency after a single term.[4]
For the 2007 list, managing editorRichard Stengel clarified that theTime 100 focused on the most influential people rather than the hottest, most popular, or most powerful people. He said:
Influence is hard to measure, and what we look for is people whose ideas, whose example, whose talent, whose discoveries transform the world we live in. Influence is less about the hard power of force than the soft power of ideas and example. Yes, there are Presidents and dictators who can change the world through fiat, but we're more interested in innovators likeMonty Jones, theSierra Leone scientist who has developed a strain of rice that can save African agriculture. Or heroes like the great chess masterGarry Kasparov, who is leading the lonely fight for greater democracy in Russia. OrAcademy Award-winning actorGeorge Clooney who has leveraged his celebrity to bring attention to thetragedy in Darfur.[5]
From2005 to2008,Time magazine awarded one of Darko Mladenovic's Ray crystal sculptures to eachTime 100 honoree. These sculptures were produced bySwarovski.[6]
In2009, the winner of the online poll was4chan founderChristopher Poole, who received 16,794,368 votes.Time claimed that their technical team "did detect and extinguish several attempts tohack the vote".[7] However, it was shown weeks before the poll ended that the results had been heavily influenced by hackers.The first letters of the top 21 names spell out "marblecake alsothe game". Marblecake was an obscene 4chanmeme, and #marblecake was the name of theInternet Relay Chat channel used for communication by some of the participants in rigging the poll.[8][9]
In its online presentation,Time introduced the2010 list as follows: "In our annualTime 100 issue, we name the people who most affect our world".[10] The overall list was organized with four main sub-lists: Leaders, Heroes, Artists, and Thinkers.[10]Oprah Winfrey continued a streak that began in 2004, having been included on everyTime 100 list, and was one of 31 women on the list. While 2012 saw a break in Oprah's streak, she would be a finalist four more times during the decade and returned to the list in 2018. The 2010 list included many expected names and some surprises such asScott Brown, whoHuffPost described as a premature selection at that point in his career.[11]
The 2010 list included 10 Indians,[12] but according to a local news station in India,Time faced criticism when they excludedBollywood actorShah Rukh Khan from the list, even though he was supposedly "in the race".[13] According to Rob Cain ofForbes, "Khan is the biggest and most revered figure [in India]", and Khan's fan following is one of the largest in Bollywood.[14]
The announcement of the list was celebrated by ablack tie gala at theTime Warner Center in New York City on May 4, 2010.Time readers contributed to the selection through an online vote of over 200 finalists.[15]
Time introduced the2011 list as follows: "Meet the most influential people in the world. They are artists and activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state, and captains of industry. Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even revolution. Welcome to this year'sTime 100."[16] The announcement was celebrated with a black tie event in New York City on April 26, 2011.[17] The honorees were joined byA-list celebrities at theJazz at Lincoln Center for the event.Time readers contributed to the selection through an online vote of over 200 finalists.[18]
The list included familiar leaders, particularlyU.S. presidentBarack Obama andGerman chancellorAngela Merkel, as well as "newcomers" to the global press.[19] The list included numerous figures representing theArab Spring in theMiddle East, including rebels, political leaders, and news correspondents. Media figures unrelated to the Arab Spring were also listed.[20] Additionally,Prince William andKate Middleton were part of the list during the week beforetheir wedding.[21] The list also included Katsunobu Sakurai, the mayor ofMinamisōma,Fukushima, which was the city most affected by the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[19]
Revealed on April 24, 2014, the2014 list featuredBeyoncé on the U.S. cover andRobert Redford,Jason Collins, andMary Barra on international covers.[22] The list included 41 women, the most in the list's history.[23] The gala was held on April 29, 2014, in New York City.[24]
Time managing editorNancy Gibbs commented:
TheTime 100 is a list of the world's most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms. Power, as we've seen this year, can be crude and implacable, from Vladimir Putin'smugging of Crimea to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un'ssummary execution of his uncle and mentorJang Song-thaek. Those men made our list, but they are the outliers, and not just because we generally seek to celebrate the best work of the human spirit. The vast majority of this year's roster reveals that while power is certain, influence is subtle. Power is a tool, influence is a skill; one is a fist, the other a fingertip. You don't lead by hitting people over the head,Dwight Eisenhower used to say. That's "assault, not leadership." ... To assemble the list, we rely on our journalists around the world and ourTime 100 alumni (many of whom are as influential as ever). ... If there is a common theme in many of the tributes, it's the eagerness to see what some engineer, actor, leader or athlete will do next. As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming.
— Nancy Gibbs, "The Ties That Bind the 100"[25]
At age 14, Spanish-British born actressMillie Bobby Brown became the youngest person to be listed on the2018 list, whenStranger Things was in its third season.[26] The 2018 list also included twoIsraelis: entrepreneur andWeWork founderAdam Neumann; and actress and modelGal Gadot.[27][28]
In the2019 list,Time chose authors to write the honorees' blurbs. Some of the pairings includeGal Gadot writing aboutDwayne Johnson,Shawn Mendes writing aboutTaylor Swift,Shonda Rhimes writing aboutSandra Oh,Ava DuVernay writing aboutGayle King, andBeyoncé writing aboutMichelle Obama.[29]
The2020 list included Indian actorAyushmann Khurrana, rapperMegan Thee Stallion, comedianPhoebe Waller-Bridge, tennis championNaomi Osaka (her second time being included),F1 driverLewis Hamilton, attorneyNury Turkel,American football playerPatrick Mahomes, andenvironmental justice advocateCecilia Martinez.[30]
On September 15,Time revealed the2021 list, distributed into the categoriesIcons,Pioneers,Titans,Artists,Leaders andInnovators. Each category has a highlighted section of personalities being featured on theTime magazine cover, namingPrince Harry andMeghan Markle asIcons,Billie Eilish asPioneer,Simone Biles asTitan,Kate Winslet asArtist,Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala asLeader andJensen Huang asInnovator.[31] Furthermore,Time held a readers poll prior to the reveal of the editors list, asking whether certain personalities should be included in that year's annual list. Nearly 1.8 million votes were cast, withBritney Spears claiming the top spot while also being featured as anIcon.[32]
Editor-in-chiefEdward Felsenthal commented on the current working circumstances atTime and the effects of the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic on the annual gala:
For the second year in a row,Time journalists assembled this project working apart, across time zones and continents. It was overseen for the fifth year by Dan Macsai, editorial director of theTime100, working with Ng, as well as Jennifer Duggan, Merrill Fabry, Lucy Feldman, Cate Matthews, Nadia Suleman and designer Katie Kalupson. Though COVID-19 prevented us from hosting our annual gala (back next year!), we are bringing the list to life once again through aTime100 TV special (Monday, Sept. 20, at 10 p.m. E.T. on ABC).
— Edward Felsenthal, "How We Chose the 2021Time100"[33]
The2024 list includedDua Lipa,Dev Patel,21 Savage,Jenny Holzer, andLauren Blauvelt.
The2025 list includedAhmed al-Sharaa,Yoshiki,Serena Williams,Mark Zuckerberg,Elon Musk, andSnoop Dogg.[34]
Each category is given equal weight every year, but some people make repeat appearances over time.
The following list includes individuals who have appeared at least three times. The order is based on the number of times each person has been listed inTime 100. Those who are tied are listed alphabetically. Some individuals, such asNelson Mandela, have also been listed in the one-offTime's list of "The Most Important People of the 20th Century". They are listed inbold.
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The exclusion of then-British prime ministerTony Blair from the 2004 list caused mild controversy.Time editor-at-largeMichael J. Elliott defended the decision to consistently exclude Blair, saying that "Gerhard Schröder andJacques Chirac are not there either. This is a worldwide list. There are no Western European political leaders on it because they are not that powerful or influential at this time."[35] The exclusion of then-President of the United StatesGeorge W. Bush in 2007 generated similar controversy. Former SenatorRick Santorum (R–PA) said onFox News:
The fact of the matter is, the president of the United States, I don't care who's in that office, is the most powerful man on the face of the Earth and has more influence over various aspects of lives, not just in this country, but around the world. And forTime magazine to dismiss that just shows you how biased and, I would argue, hateful they are.[36]
Adi Ignatius,Time's deputy managing editor who oversaw the list at the time, explained that "any U.S. president has a certain built-in influence ... Bush had actually squandered some of that built-in influence. His position onIraq has cost him support in his own party. ... To a certain point, he sort of reached alame-duck status".[37]
The list has also generated controversy over inclusions. In 2005, conservative commentatorAnn Coulter was listed, which ledSalon to observe:
WhenTime magazine named Ann Coulter among its 100 "most influential people" last week, alongside such heavyweights asAriel Sharon,Bill Clinton,Nelson Mandela, and theDalai Lama, the choice produced guffaws online. Plugging the issue on Fox News last week,Time executive editor Priscilla Painton insisted it was Coulter's use of "humor" that made her so influential, stopping just short of suggesting that Coulter is the conservativeJon Stewart. But even Fox'sBill O'Reilly wasn't buying it. He pressed Painton: "Do you think people, Americans, listen to Ann Coulter? Do you think she has influence in public opinion?"[38]
Time defended Coulter as a best-selling author whose controversial commentary strongly affected political debates in the United States. Coulter did not, however, make additional appearances on the list.
In February 2016,Time included the male British authorEvelyn Waugh on its "100 Most Read Female Writers in College Classes" list, generating media attention and concerns regardingfact-checking at the magazine.[39]Time later issued a retraction. In aBBC interview withJustin Webb,Oxford professorValentine Cunningham said the mistake was "a piece of profound ignorance on the part ofTime magazine".[40]
Since 2014, in partnership withRolex,Time has published a class of young pioneers "in politics, business, culture, science and sports" who are reshaping the world around them.[41] It is, per the magazine's editor-in-chiefEdward Felsenthal, "an opportunity to elevate" the trailblazers "who are building a better future".[42][43] Included in the 2022 list wasLina Abu Akleh, a human rights advocate who is the niece ofShireen Abu Akleh, a journalist likely killed by Israeli soldiers.[44]
From 2015 to 2019,Time also published a list titled "The 25 Most Influential People on theInternet", which featured people whose influence and dominance may have changed Internet culture; who have support, position, and prominence in various sections ofsocial media; or who use and/or rely on the Internet as a platform for change. People who have been listed range from political figures, such asDonald Trump andAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to teenageYouTubers, such asJoJo Siwa andEmma Chamberlain.[45]
Others who have been listed includeLil Nas X, whosedebut hit broke the record for most weeks spent atop theBillboardHot 100 after being created and distributed on the Internet,[46] and actress and presenterJameela Jamil, who is known widely beyond her profession for heronline activism.[45]
In 2019,Time began publishing theTime 100 Next list, which "spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more".[3] It is considered an expansion of the currentTime 100 list.[47] Although the list has no explicit age cap, it is more focused on up-and-coming figures and "rising stars".[3][48] The Next list features profiles written by establishedTime 100 alumni.[3]
In 2019,Time created 89 new covers to celebrate women of the year starting from 1920.[49]
In 2021,Time solicited company nominations from industry and journalistic sources, which were then evaluated on relevance, impact, innovation, leadership, ambition and success. The top 100 were compiled into theTime100 Most Influential Companies list, which included well-known companies such as GM, Tesla, Volkswagen Group, Facebook, Google, Moderna, UPS, Netflix, and Zoom. Along with the list,Time launchedTime Business.[50][51]
In 2023,Time launched theTime Climate 100 list, which ranked the most influential climate action leaders based on recent and measurable achievements.[52] Its first edition included American singerBillie Eilish,United Steelworkers executiveRoxanne Brown, World Bank presidentAjay Banga,DSM-Firmenich vice-presidentMark van Nieuwland, and indigenous rights activistNemonte Nenquimo.[53]
In 2023,Time launched theTime AI 100 list, featuring the 100 most influential people inartificial intelligence. The first edition included business leaders such as Anthropic CEO and presidentDario andDaniela Amodei, along with writers and academics including science fiction authorTed Chiang, researcher and policy advisorAlondra Nelson, and neural network pioneerGeoffrey Hinton, amongst others.[54]
In 2024,Time launched theTime Health 100 list, which recognizes the 100 most influential people in health. The list included French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and several other luminaries.[55]
In 2025,Time launched theTime Philanthropy 100 list, which recognizes the 100 most influential people in the field of philanthropy.[56]
From 2002 to 2008, Swarovski teamed with Paris based designer Darko Mladenovic ... the Ray was awarded to prominent recipients of Time Magazine's 100 World's Most Influential People Award for four years.
