Here is a list of 5 most influential people of our era in no particular order. What makes a person a significant persona to be on the list? It ranges from pop culture, technology, politics, and business.
1. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder of Facebook. He is known for being an internet entrepreneur and a philanthropist as well. He was known for being the Harvard drop out who made it big in the World Wide Web.
Today, Facebook has billions of profiles worldwide. It has been utilized not only as a tool for communication but also for businesses. Over the years, Facebook has changed its algorithm to become more than a tool where you can connect with friends. Though there are some people who didn’t like the changes made by Facebook, the site remained the top player among other social media networks.
As of May 2016, Mark Zuckerberg’s worth has reached $51 billion. He was named as one of Time’s most influential people. But of course, there are criticisms to Facebook. These criticisms ranged from privacy issues to political issues.
2. Steve Jobs
Everyone is familiar with Steve Jobs. He is an icon of the 21st century. A known innovator and a pop culture superstar, he is the face of modern day technology.
What made Steve Jobs part of the 5 most influential people is his involvement with Apple that revolutionized how we lived our lives. He was able to provide technology that has become a game changer how we perform day to day routines.
He was the co-founder of Apple. He is also the majority of the shareholder of Pixar. Steve Jobs has been known for his ability to create innovations that we enjoy today. Among the things that he came up with included the very first personal computer, the iPhone, and the iPad.
But this isn’t the only thing that he left us with. Until today, Apple remained as a leader in technology. It is his culture of perfection and innovation that the company carried that made him an influential character.
3. Sergey Brin and Larry Page (Google)
Sergey Brin together with Larry Page founded Google. Google is the biggest search engine today. It has changed the way we view information. Brin’s worth is at $39 billion. On the other hand, Larry Page’s worth is at $36.7 billion.
What made Google what it is today is their ability to adapt to the changing world. They’ve been able to revamp the search engine’s algorithm that rearranged websites in their result pages. In the past, Google algorithm was simply looking at backlinks to judge whether or not a website could is placed on the first page of the search result page. Today, there are several factors involved including social media signals, grammar, and backlinks as well. This made Google the number one search engine where you can advertise your website.
4. Bill Gates
Bill Gates is known as the wealthiest man on earth. He is the co-founder of Microsoft. It eventually became the largest PC company in the world. His current assets are worth $76.4 billion. There are some criticisms about him including his anti-competitive business practices.
What makes Bill Gates an amazing individual is the fact that he never forgot to give back. He is known as a philanthropist. He was able to donate a large sum of money on different scientific endeavors. He and his wife started the wealthiest charitable foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was valued at $34.6 billion. They are the second most generous philanthropist in the US giving $28 billion to charity.
Their charitable foundation was able to support different scientific projects including genetically modified organisms in agriculture. Another amazing thing about Bill Gates is his ability to influence people like Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffet. Together with Zuckerberg and Buffet, they were able to sign a pledge which is a commitment to give half of their total assets in charity over the course of time.
5. Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the first black president of the US. Unlike other presidents, Barack Obama ‘s electoral success was symbolic not only for the African-American community but for minorities within the US as well. He was the also the very first American president born outside continental US.
In 2009, Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize award. Barack Obama encountered one of the biggest economic challenges when he encountered the 2008 recession. He was able to sign laws which allowed the US economy to restart again. Another domestic policy that Obama has been known for is Obamacare.
The death of Osama Bin Laden also happened during his term. Reelected for his second term in 2012 defeating Romney, he has called for inclusiveness of the LGBT community. And recently, he was the very first president in decades to normalize relations with Cuba after Bay of Pigs.
