As journalists, the most frequent question we face, particularly now, is: what’s next? As we finalized this issue, President Trump’s tariff plan disrupted the economy. Many readers felt this accelerated a widespread shift with significant consequences. Reactions are mixed, and the future remains uncertain.
TIME’s founders believed understanding the world requires focusing on those who are changing it. This principle guides much of our work, including TIME100, our annual list of the world’s most influential people, which began over two decades ago and will soon celebrate its centennial. The TIME100, in partnership with Rolex, will be our most extensive yet, featuring a summit with world leaders and a gala broadcast on May 4 on ABC and streamed on Hulu. This year, we’re also launching two new TIME100 initiatives: one focused on philanthropy and the other on digital creators.
What does the 2025 TIME100 reveal about the forces shaping our lives? It includes six members of the Trump Administration, the largest number from a political administration since 2009, reflecting the source of global disruption. This year’s list also features a record 16 corporate CEOs, indicating the rise of business leaders filling a leadership void. Additionally, it includes nine leaders advocating for justice, equality, and democracy during a critical time for rights. The list comprises individuals from 32 countries. The youngest is 22-year-old Léonie Periault, a French swimmer who excelled at the Paris Olympics. The oldest is Muhammad Yunus, an 84-year-old Nobel laureate who recently became the head of Bangladesh’s interim government.
This year, TIME’s journalists profiled the five cover subjects. Belinda Luscombe visited Los Angeles to spend time with Snoop Dogg, whose ubiquitous presence is a study in contrasts. She notes that “At a time when people increasingly huddle within cultural fortresses of their algorithms, Snoop is a battering ram.” Billy Perrigo interviewed Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind and a 2024 Nobel Prize winner, in London, to understand his role in the AI revolution. Sean Gregory visited Carlos Alcaraz’s farm in South Florida to explore how the tennis star is impacting sports and investment. Andrew Chow accompanied Olivia Rodrigo to a surprise St. Patrick’s Day performance in Boston, seeking to understand her creative resurgence. Lucy Feldman spoke with Demi Moore, star of The Substance, about her career and her excitement in portraying challenging roles for women in their 60s, a time she sees as “incredibly powerful, exciting, and alive.”
The TIME100 is now present across all TIME’s platforms. Dan Macsai and Cate Matthews oversee the selection process, guiding TIME’s journalists through a year of discussions and research, consulting sources and partners globally to narrow down the list to 100 individuals. Matthews stated, “The stories this project tells change with the headlines, so every May, our research starts anew. The one constant we see each year is that a single person’s hard work, idea, or decision can change the world.”
So, what will happen? We believe the TIME100 will lead the change.