--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Charles Koch & David Koch by Rand Paul image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9381ecd23bd19a6/6987eb2ef887dc3810e8df8e/charles-koch-david-koch-brothers-time-100-2015-titans.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 15, 2015 # Charles Koch & David Koch by Rand Paul  ca. 2012 --- Charles Koch --- Image by © Jamie Kripke/Forbes Collection/Corbis Outline ca. 2012 --- Charles Koch --- Image by © Jamie Kripke/Forbes Collection/Corbis OutlineDavid Koch: Keith Major—Contour by Getty Images; Charles Koch: Jamie Kripke—Forbes Collection/Corbis Outline Charles and David Koch are well known for their business success, their generous philanthropic efforts and for their focus on innovation in management. Some also know them for their activism in the political realm. All of these are important contributions to society. What is underappreciated is their passion for freedom and their commitment to ideas. Unlike many crony capitalists who troll the halls of Congress looking for favors, the Kochs have consistently lobbied against special-interest politics. For decades they have funded institutes that promote ideas, not politics, such as Cato and the Mercatus Center. They have always stood for freedom, equality and opportunity. Consistent with their love of liberty, they have become prominent advocates for criminal-justice reform. The Koch brothers’ investment in freedom-loving think tanks will carry on for generations, reminding all of us that ideas and convictions ultimately trump all else. _Paul is a U.S. Senator and a 2016 presidential candidate_ Charles Koch & David Koch by Rand Paul ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/2015-time-100/3822767/charles-koch-david-koch-2015-time-100/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/2015-time-100/3822767/charles-koch-david-koch-2015-time-100/"},"headline":"Charles Koch & David Koch","datePublished":"2015-04-15T20:05:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:28.188Z","description":"Idea men","url":"https://time.com/collections/2015-time-100/3822767/charles-koch-david-koch-2015-time-100/","keywords":["TIME 100"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9381ecd23bd19a6/6987eb2ef887dc3810e8df8e/charles-koch-david-koch-brothers-time-100-2015-titans.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9381ecd23bd19a6/6987eb2ef887dc3810e8df8e/charles-koch-david-koch-brothers-time-100-2015-titans.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/2015-time-100/3822767/charles-koch-david-koch-2015-time-100/","name":"Charles Koch & David Koch"}}]}] ```