Time Magazine Named Elon Musk As "Person Of The Year", Here's Why!

Elon Musk won the Person of the Year award from Time magazine. (photo; instagram)

JAKARTA - Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was named "Person of the Year" by Time magazine for 2021. He was named in a year in which his electric car company became the world's most valuable automaker and his rocket company soared into space with an all-citizen crew.

In addition to Tesla's owner, Elon Musk, is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX. He also leads brain chip startup Neuralink and infrastructure company The Boring Company. Tesla's own market value has soared to more than $1 trillion this year, making the auto company more valuable than Ford Motor and General Motors, the two leading US manufacturers combined.

Tesla produces hundreds of thousands of cars every year and has managed to prevent supply chain problems better than many of its competitors. Tesla has also encouraged many young consumers to switch to electric cars. In fact, he has created an old car factory to immediately shift its focus to EV vehicles.

"To create solutions to existential crises, to embody the possibilities and perils of the age of tech giants, to drive society's most daring and disruptive transformations, Elon Musk is TIME's 2021 Person of the Year," said Time Magazine editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal, as reported by Reuters.

"Even Elon Musk's spacefaring adventures are a direct line from the first Person of the Year, Charles Lindbergh, who was chosen by editors in 1927 to commemorate his historic first solo transatlantic flight over the Atlantic," Felsenthal added.

From hosting Saturday Night Live, to tweeting about cryptocurrency and stock memes that have sparked massive moves in its value, Elon Musk has dominated headlines and amassed over 66 million followers on Twitter. Even some of his tweets have also caught the attention of regulatory watchdogs in the past.

According to Time magazine, "The Person of the Year" signifies someone "who has the most influence on our news or lives, for better or for worse."

In addition to awarding Musk, Time Magazine named teen pop singer Olivia Rodrigo "Entertainer of the Year", American gymnast Simone Biles "Athlete of the Year" and vaccine scientists "Heroes of the Year".

Last year, US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were jointly named "Person of the Year". The Times started this award tradition in 1927. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have also received the title several years ago.