American Time magazine selected Elon Musk as “Man of the Year” for 2021. “Tesla’s boss is a mix of clown, genius, visionary, showman and entrepreneur,” Time editor-in-chief Edward Pleasant said. “Man of the Year is a sign of influence, “Except people have more of an impact on life on Earth and possibly on extraterrestrial life than Musk,” he added.
Musk, 50, who runs the private space company SpaceX in addition to Tesla, is considered the richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of more than $ 300 billion. Musk is “perhaps the best example of a massive change in our society,” Placantal continued in his description. “He is committed to climate and also to more social justice. Tesla’s boss and founder of the space company SpaceX wants to save the planet and to that he devotes a large part of his time.”
Since 1927 the title has been awarded to people from all corners of the spectrum, from tyrants (Hitler) to environmental activists like Greta Thornberg who have had the most impact in a particular year of activity on society and the climate. In 2015 – the year of the refugee crisis – for example, Chancellor Angela Merkel was elected Man of the Year. In the past, Queen Elizabeth II and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela have been among the winners, but other such examples have also starred on the cover of the magazine, including Stalin. In 2020 these were US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Musk, Plessenthal added that the richest man in the world “shoots satellites into orbit and uses the sun; he drives a car he created that uses no fuel and barely needs a driver. At the flick of a finger, the stock market skyrockets or faints in the face of his actions.”
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