Time Magazine announced today that Elon Musk is the publication’s Person of the Year. The title is not necessarily an award, but rather is given to the person or persons who have had an outsize impact on the world and influence on the news over the previous year. Musk’s prominent role as the head of Tesla, his venture into space travel with SpaceX, and his current position as the world’s wealthiest person, has made him both a household name and a controversial presence in the automotive world and beyond.
This year, Tesla became a trillion-dollar company and continued its reign over the growing electric-vehicle market. Musk’s SpaceX venture also had a monumental year, launching the first space mission with an all-civilian crew in September. But the Time article points out not only Musk’s business acumen, but also his outspoken personality, describing him as “a madcap hybrid of Thomas Edison, P.T. Barnum, Andrew Carnegie, and Watchmen’s Doctor Manhattan.” From his comical, snarky tweets—which can border on Internet trolling—to his appearance on Saturday Night Live in May, Musk manages almost always to find a way into the daily news cycle.
For the full story, check out this article from Car And Driver.