Person of the Year

Presented By

Why Elon Musk Will Go Down in History

By Walter Isaacson

How Person of the Year Elon Musk Built His Fortune

By Alejandro de la Garza

Excerpts from Elon Musk's Person of the Year Interview

By TIME Staff

Vaccine Scientists Are TIME's 2021 Heroes of the Year

By Alice Park and Jamie Ducharme
More in Person of the Year

Why TIME Chose Elon Musk as the 2021 Person of the Year

Despite shattering records this year with a net worth above $300 billion, Elon Musk demurs at being described as the richest person in the history of the world. “Excluding sovereigns,” Musk says wryly, adding that...

By Edward Felsenthal

Elon Musk Is TIME's 2021 Person of the Year

Updated: Dec. 13, 2021: 2:09 p.m. The richest man in the world does not own a house and has recently been selling off his fortune. He tosses satellites into orbit and harnesses the sun; he...

By Molly Ball , Jeffrey Kluger and Alejandro de la Garza

Olivia Rodrigo Is TIME's 2021 Entertainer of the Year

The air is musty, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is playing on an ancient TV by the door, and Olivia Rodrigo is flipping through racks of slip dresses and flared pants. “What’s your style?” she asks....

By Lucy Feldman

Simone Biles Is TIME's 2021 Athlete of the Year

Around 9 p.m. on July 27, as Simone Biles soared high above the vault at the Tokyo Olympics, she lost herself. You could see the confusion in her eyes, which darted sideways instead of locking...

By Alice Park and Sean Gregory

Here's Who Won TIME's 2021 Person of the Year Reader Poll

Former president Donald Trump came in second place; Russian lawyer Alexei Navalny came in third place.

By TIME Staff

Who Should Be TIME's 2021 Person of the Year? Vote Now

Cast your vote for the person or group who had the greatest influence on the year—for better or worse. We'll reveal the 2021 Person of the Year, chosen by TIME's editors, on Dec. 8. Check...

Assa Traoré and France's Fight for Racial Justice

Traoré, whose brother died in police custody in 2016, is one of TIME’s 2020 Guardians of the Year

By Vivienne Walt / Paris

Kamala Harris on Restoring the Soul of the Nation

Kamala Harris is the first Vice President-elect to be named TIME’s Person of the Year. TIME senior correspondent Charlotte Alter sat down with the California senator in Wilmington, Del., on Dec. 7—which happened to be...

By Madeleine Carlisle

Joe Biden on Vaccines, Pardons and Uniting America: The 2020 TIME Person of the Year Interview

Where does America go from here? That’s the colossal question before President-elect Joe Biden

By Madeleine Carlisle

The Story Behind TIME's 2020 Person of the Year Covers

To illustrate the broad range of people featured on the 2020 Person of the Year covers, we commissioned artists and photographers with a variety of backgrounds and styles—from digital art to oil painting; portraitists to...

By D.W. Pine

TIME’s History of President-Elects as Person of the Year

TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year choice of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris keeps with tradition—and breaks new ground. The selection of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris marks the first time a...

By Olivia B. Waxman

Behind the Scenes of TIME's 2020 Person of the Year Issue

In the fall of any normal year, we pack a conference room at TIME’s headquarters in New York City with reporters, producers and editors to debate who should be selected as Person of the Year,...

By Edward Felsenthal

What Kamala Harris Brings to the White House

On Aug. 11, many of us were waiting with considerable suspense to find out whom Joe Biden would pick to be his running mate. A video that shows him calling Kamala Harris goes like this:...

By Anna Deavere Smith

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Are TIME's 2020 Person of the Year

To get past the stage-door entrance of the Queen theater, you need a negative COVID-19 test and a particular type of N95 mask. You have to promise not to eat or drink inside, and answer...

By Charlotte Alter

Why TIME Chose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the 2020 Person of the Year

Biden and Harris show that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division

By Edward Felsenthal

Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Frontline Health Workers Are TIME's 2020 Guardians of the Year

Guardians put themselves on the line to defend the ideals sacred to democracy. In 2020, they fought on many fronts. On the front line against COVID-19, the world’s health care workers displayed the best of...

By Jeffrey Kluger and Alice Park
More from TIME
More From TIME