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Time magazine’s person of the year is an honorary award, started in 1927. It's given to the person whom the magazine recognizes to have done the most – for better or for worse – to influence the events of the year. The award can also be given to groups and non-humans. Starting in 1998, Time magazine allowed its readers to choose who they believed to be the person of the year but stresses that the awardee is chosen by the magazine’s editors and not based on the results of the online poll.
Here are the 10 richest people who have been Time magazine’s person of the year, some more than once.
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder and CEO of Amazon.com, Inc. has a current net worth of $112 billion. He was Time magazine’s Person of the Year for its 1999 edition. Bezos is arguably the richest person on this list. Bezos built his empire, Amazon (an online bookstore), from scratch, starting with an investment of $300,000 in 1995.
The company value has grown to more than $1 trillion in 2018 and currently stands well over $790 billion. Bezos is known for his aggressive expansion and market dominance. He has diversified into various enterprises, from the days of selling only books online, Amazon has acquired and merged with over 100 other companies including its current space project, Blue Origin.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is listed by Forbes as the 3rd richest person in the world. He was Time’s Person of the Year (along with his wife Melinda Gates and Irish musician Bono), for its 2005 edition. Gates is the billionaire founder of the tech giant, Microsoft, and has a current net worth of $107 billion. Microsoft, founded by Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, was initially meant to sell basic interpreters but rose to dominance in computer software and is currently valued at over $780 billion. He has since been amongst the three richest people on Forbes list, surpassed only by Jeff Bezos and Bernard Arnault.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest on this list at 35-years old. He is the founder and CEO of the largest social media network, Facebook. He was Time magazine’s Person of the Year for its 2010 edition. He was honored for connecting more than half a billion people (through Facebook of course). Facebook currently has over 2.3 billion monthly active users and 1.49 billion daily active users, adds 500,000 new users every day (that’s six new profiles every second). Zuckerberg has a net worth of $74 billion, and in 2007, he became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire at the age of 23.
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin is the current president of the Russian Federation. He was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2007. Putin’s net worth has been a controversial topic of discussion as many believe the president’s true monetary possessions are not revealed. Forbes lists him amongst the most powerful men in the world and while the exact figure to determine his wealth remains a mystery, there is no doubt Putin is one of the richest people in the world. This can be seen from his lavish lifestyle – he acquired a $500 million yacht and his palace is valued at $1 billion – he is one of the richest presidents in the history of presidents.
Ted Turner
Ted Turner’s net worth is over $2 billion. The media giant and entrepreneur was Time magazine’s Person of the Year, for its 1991 edition. The billionaire is the creator of CNN, TNT, and TBS and is ranked by Forbes to be the second-largest landowner in the United States.
Ted is also the creator of the animated TV show, Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Ted sold his company, CNN, to Time Warner in 1996, for $7.34 billion and became vice-chairman afterward. Ted is also the recipient of other honorary awards including a 1992 Governor’s Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures and a Primetime Emmy Award for News & Documentary for Lifetime Achievement in 2015.
Andrew Grove
Andrew Grove was a Hungarian-American businessman. At the time of his death, Grove worth over $500 million. He was Time magazine’s Person of the Year for its 1997 edition. Grove was also an author and a pioneer in the field of semiconductor science, creating microchips that have changed computers forever. Grove died of Parkinson’s disease in 2016 at the age of 79 and was also a known survivor of Nazi and Soviet oppression. Grove was also the recipient of other honorary awards such as the 1st Annual Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment and was inducted into the California Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
Adolf Hitler
A very controversial topic that year, nevertheless, Adolf Hitler was Time magazine’s Person of the Year for the 1938 edition. Hitler, a German politician, and leader of the Nazi Party, apparently loved money and is reported to have over $3 billion at the time of his death, which is very unusual. Most military leaders and government officials never pass the billion-dollar mark. Hitler was quite a notorious figure, which was why when Time named him Person of the Year in 1938 there was outrage by the public. Many disliked it, but the conditions were, as stated by Time magazine in defense of the action, for better or for worse. He had an undeniable effect on the world.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the current president of the U.S. His net worth is estimated to be about $3.5 billion. Trump is arguably the most controversial president the United States has seen in several decades, marked by his Twitter savagery and a load of other unconventional behaviors, such as calling out NFL players and publicly attacking other government officials-- even members of his administration-- on social media. He was Time magazine’s Man of the Year for 2016. Donald Trump is the richest president the U.S. has had to take office. He is also the owner of several businesses including the famous Trump Tower in New York City.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II was estimated to be worth over $500 million by Forbes. Queen Elizabeth II, officially known as The Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, was awarded Time magazine’s Person of the Year for its 1952 edition. Elizabeth II became queen in 1952 after the death of the king, her father King George VI in the same year. While the actual wealth of the Royal Family certainly isn’t known to the general public, the Queen’s ‘personal’ wealth is what we state in line with Forbes. The Queen was named the most powerful person in London by Business Matters Magazine (an online publication specializing in business news).
Bono
Hewson Bono was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates), for its 2005 edition. He was also made an honorary knight in 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II. Bono, being the lead vocalist of the rock band U2, is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated net worth of $700 million. He has used his celebrity status to call attention to global problems including the all too familiar issue of AIDS, poverty, and hunger. His initiative, DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa), which is dedicated to fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa is supported by more than 100 nonprofit organizations and individuals such as Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, and Gwyneth Paltrow.