TIME released its annual list of 100 most influential people in the world and several tech leaders made the cut this year.
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, who had made the list in previous years, was deemed “tech’s most enduring innovator,” by TIME. Here’s what PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel wrote about Bezos:
Twenty years ago Jeff Bezos left a lucrative job in finance to drive across the country and start his own business. He went on a wild ride: from original hero of Internet commerce to poster child of dotcom hype to a second act on par with Steve Jobs’ return to Apple.
Amazon is still the greatest tech story of the 1990s; it’s also one of a few contemporaries still run by its founder. Nobody else reinvests almost every cent of profit in growth, as Bezos still does. Amazon is immensely valuable today, and almost all of its value comes from the future. The journey ahead for Jeff Bezos is just as great now as when he first set out in 1994.
Other tech superstars like Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Snapchat co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy also made the list.
Somewhat surprisingly, outspoken Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman was named most influential for the first time. TIME writer Sean Gregory praised Sherman for sparking national conversations about race and sportsmanship.
“At a time when most pro athletes flee social questions, Sherman tackles them head on,” Gregory wrote. “And he backs it up on the field too, leading the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl win. So keep talking, Sherm. We have much more to learn.”
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Paul Allen, who have made the list in years past, didn’t qualify this year. Neither did Bill Gates, though he did write a brief description for Time 100 honoree Aliko Dangote, while his wife Melinda Gates wrote about Christy Turlington Burns.
See the full list here.
