TIME Person of the Year 2021

In December 2021, TIME magazine named Elon Musk its Person of the Year, citing his extraordinary influence "on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth." The choice capped a remarkable year: Tesla had become a trillion-dollar company, SpaceX had flown the first all-civilian crew to orbit, and Musk had become the wealthiest person in the world.

TIME's editor described Musk as embodying a moment when the boundaries between technology, business and society were being redrawn by a single individual operating across cars, rockets, energy and the internet simultaneously.

The honor — one of the most prominent in global media — reflected a simple reality: few people alive have changed as many major industries at once. From electric vehicles to spaceflight to satellite internet, the things Musk's companies built were reshaping how humanity moves, communicates and powers itself, all in the same year.