Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of Tesla, was chosen Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2021, following a year in which his electric vehicle company became the world's most profitable automobile manufacturer and his rocket company launched an all-civilian crew to the edge of space.
"Person of the Year is a measure of influence, and few persons have had more influence on life on Earth, and possibly on life beyond," Time Editor in Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal said in a statement.
"By 2021, Musk has established himself not only as the world's wealthiest individual, but also as arguably the wealthiest symbol of a massive shift seismic upheaval in our society," Felsenthal added.
Tesla's market value has surpassed $1 trillion this year, overtaking Ford Motor and General Motors combined.
Tesla manufactures hundreds of thousands of cars each year and has avoided supply chain challenges better than many of its competitors, all while convincing many young buyers to switch to electric cars and legacy automakers to refocus their efforts on electric vehicles.
Musk - the world's richest man - and SpaceX have accomplished several notable feats this year, including safely landing a prototype of the company's massive Starship Mars rocket during a high-altitude test flight; retaining manned access to the International Space Station from the United States via SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket; and successfully deploying four civilians on a charity-focused orbital spaceflight called Inspiration4.
Musk appeared on Saturday Night Live, where he made the obligatory Dogecoin jokes. Musk is a fervent supporter of the cryptocurrency and has apparently begun accepting missions paid for in Dogecoin.
Musk is still pursuing his interplanetary settlement goals through Starship and has framed his aim of reaching the Red Planet as a way to address some of Earth's challenges, like global warming.
That is a position that some find contentious, but Musk has been laser-focused on Mars since SpaceX's inception nearly two decades ago, according to Vox.
From hosting SNL to tweeting about cryptocurrencies and meme stocks, Musk has dominated the headlines and acquired over 66 million followers on Twitter.
Time magazine awarded Olivia Rodrigo, a young pop singer, "Entertainer of the Year," Simone Biles, an American gymnast, "Athlete of the Year," and vaccine scientists "Heroes of the Year."
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris shared the "Person of the Year" award last year.
