TIME Ranks Sam Altman As CEO Of The Year, Taylor Swift As Person Of The Year; Check Others On The 2023 List

With TIME Magazine announcing various winners, Sam Altman, Taylor Swift, and Lionel Messi have won big.

Sam Altman as 'CEO of the Year'

In a turbulent November 2023, Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI, was initially ousted by the company's board of directors, was offered a job at Microsoft, only to come back to OpenAI five days later. While TIME Magazine honored him as the CEO of the Year, Altman reflected on this experience of losing and regaining leadership of the company he helped build, and described it as a "10-out-of-10 crazy thing to live through."

Altman co-founded ChatGPT, a revolutionary tool used by all, which was launched in November 2022. It became one of the fastest technology to be adopted in history. Altman told TIME, "For many people, 2023 was the year that they started taking AI seriously."

Despite his journey at OpenAI, there was no room for doubt for Altman's leadership prowess. Even after the success of ChatGPT-4, he continued to lead the company like an '$80 billion rocket ship,' as described by TIME.

Silicon Valley regards Altman as a distinguished figure, a respected founder exuding exceptional skills and qualities, according to the magazine.

Taylor Swift ranked ‘Person of the Year’

Since 1927, this rank has been given to a ruler, or someone with power. It's usually a man, and more often than not a politician or a businessman -- 14 US Presidents, five leaders of Russia, and three Popes. TIME, this year, named American singer Taylor Swift as Person of the Year. Even though, Swift is neither of the mentioned above, she still managed to demonstrate her capabilities throughout this year. 

“In a divided world, where too many institutions are failing, Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well," said TIME. “Taylor Swift is also a symbol of generational change: she is only the fourth solo Person of the Year born in the past half century," noted TIME.

Ever since her debut 17 years ago, Taylor Swift has bagged more No. 1 albums than any other woman. In 2023 itself, she had three chart-topping albums. Not only that, many world leaders and mayors tried to bring her ongoing Eras Tour to their cities. 

Notably, Taylor Swift also faced comments from Republicans after they lost elections earlier this year. She took to social media to ask her fans to vote. Though she didn't explicitly announce who to vote for, right-wing hosts expressed their sorrow over the power of Swifties.

Lionel Messi ranked ‘Athlete of the Year’

Renowned footballer Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to its first World Cup victory in nearly forty years last year, has made a surprising move by joining a last-place club in the US. Messi wrapped up his 2022–2023 season with Paris St. Germain (PSG), demonstrating an outstanding performance with 21 goals and 20 assists in various competitions.

In 2023, Messi not only celebrated winning the World Cup but also secured his eighth Ballon d'Or, marking yet another achievement in his career.

TIME highlighted Lionel Messi's decision to join Inter Miami over Saudi Arabia as a pioneer moment. It not only showcased his unwavering talent on the field but also established a new benchmark for athlete influence and empowerment.