Look who's been crowned Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2021: Elon Musk

Virgin Radio

14 Dec 2021, 11:40

As if life couldn't get any sweeter (read: richer) for spaceman Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, he's now been awarded the prestigious accolade on top of his net worth of £200.51billion.

"The richest man in the world does not own a house and has recently been selling off his fortune. He tosses satellites into orbit and harnesses the sun; he drives a car he created that uses no gas and barely needs a driver," Time wrote.

"With a flick of his finger, the stock market soars or swoons. An army of devotees hangs on his every utterance. He dreams of Mars as he bestrides Earth, square-jawed and indomitable. Lately, Elon Musk also likes to live-tweet his poops."

Time’s editor-in-chief's Edward Felsenthal wrote that the owner of the title was ‘a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth too'.

He continued: "In 2021, Musk emerged not just as the world’s richest person but also as perhaps the richest example of a massive shift in our society."

Last year the publication awarded then-President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the honour, and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg the year before.