--- description: Find out why Ynon Kreiz is one of the 100 most influential people of 2024. title: Ynon Kreiz: The 100 Most Influential People of 2024 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6e4ce662662b6c55/698a55949d83e83b95b99f71/time-100-2024-yonon-kreiz.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 17, 2024 # Ynon Kreiz by J.J. Abrams  Ynon Kreiz, chief executive officer of Mattel Inc., at the company's headquarters in El Segundo, California, US, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022\. With Greta Gerwig's $100 million new film, Mattel is trying to prove Barbie isn't hopelessly out of date. Photographer: Tracy Nguyen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Ynon Kreiz, chief executive officer of Mattel Inc., at the company's headquarters in El Segundo, California, US, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022\. With Greta Gerwig's $100 million new film, Mattel is trying to prove Barbie isn't hopelessly out of date. Photographer: Tracy Nguyen/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesTracy Nguyen—Bloomberg/Getty Images Some skilled kitesurfers, with enough speed sailing downwind, can manage to steer their kite upward, generating sufficient lift to pop off the water and fly magnificently into the sky. This maneuver requires careful coordination, control, and a fierce mental commitment. No surprise, then, that Mattel CEO [Ynon Kreiz](https://time.com/6149760/mattel-ceo-ynon-kreiz-interview/ "undefined") is not only a rabid kitesurfer, but one who regularly “pops.” His work at the esteemed toy company began six years ago, when sales were sluggish and Barbie was just a beloved doll. With a visionary’s eyes and a kitesurfer’s audacity, he reorganized, coordinated, and schemed—imagining Mattel not as a toy company but as an entertainment company. Those of us who have known Ynon for years have witnessed his unwavering determination to turn [Barbie](https://time.com/6289864/barbie-time-cover-story/ "undefined") and other Mattel brands into cultural phenomena. One way he is doing that is by trusting his creative partners like Greta Gerwig to take giant, unexpectedly creative swings. With toy sales strong, Mattel Films development in overdrive, and an Oscar-winning, $1.5 billion hit under his belt, Ynon is only gaining speed, getting ready for his next launch skyward. _Abrams, a filmmaker, is developing a movie with Mattel Films_ _Order your copy of the 2024 TIME100 issue_ [_here_](https://magazineshop.us/TIME%5F100 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2024/6964614/ynon-kreiz/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2024/6964614/ynon-kreiz/"},"headline":"Ynon Kreiz","datePublished":"2024-04-17T11:00:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:29:00.364Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2024/6964614/ynon-kreiz/","keywords":["TIME100","franchise","Magazine","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades","2024TIME100","T100Innovators2024"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6e4ce662662b6c55/698a55949d83e83b95b99f71/time-100-2024-yonon-kreiz.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/blt6e4ce662662b6c55/698a55949d83e83b95b99f71/time-100-2024-yonon-kreiz.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/100-most-influential-people-2024/6964614/ynon-kreiz/","name":"Ynon Kreiz"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See Everyone on the TIME100 2024 list","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/73p9kgIN/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-04-17T11:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/73p9kgIN.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2024/6964614/ynon-kreiz/","duration":"PT1M59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2024/6964614/ynon-kreiz/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```