On Monday, TIME Magazine named Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, its 2021 Person of the Year. Journalists highlighted his extraordinary influence, detailing the groundbreaking achievements of his companies throughout the year.
Described as a clown, genie, edgelord (someone whose eccentric attitudes and speeches aim to stand out), visionary, industrialist, and showman, Musk embodies a unique blend of Thomas Edison, P.T. Barnum, Andrew Carnegie, and Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen. SpaceX leads the U.S. space market, while Tesla—now valued at over a trillion dollars—dominates two-thirds of the electric vehicle sector.
With a net worth exceeding $250 billion, these feats positioned Musk as the wealthiest individual in history on paper. His influence extends to Wall Street, where markets react sharply to his every tweet.
"Person of the Year is a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence on life on Earth than Musk," said Edward Felsenthal, TIME's editor-in-chief and CEO. "In 2021, Musk became not only the richest person in the world but perhaps the wealthiest example of massive change in our society."
Key 2021 milestones include the successful landing of a Starship prototype, designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond; restoring U.S. access to the International Space Station via SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Falcon 9; and winning NASA's contract in April to return American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972 under the Artemis program.
TIME also spotlighted the Inspiration4 mission, the first all-civilian orbital flight with a charitable purpose.
How many reshape the world through innovation rather than infamy? "Just a few years ago, Musk was derided as a crazed crook on the verge of bankruptcy," the profile notes. "Today, this shy South African with Asperger's syndrome—who escaped a brutal childhood and overcame personal tragedy—bends governments and industries to his ambition."
Read TIME's full profile here, where Musk discusses his Mars ambitions. (Note: Image embedded below.)
Musk's selection won't be universally praised. Critics pointed to his reopening of a Tesla factory against public health guidelines during the pandemic and Starlink's potential interference with astronomical observations.
Love him or hate him, Elon Musk commands attention.
