TIME Magazine has released the shortlist for its Person of the Year 2023, that includes American pop star Taylor Swift, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and British monarch King Charles III, Barbie among others.
According to the magazine, the famous Person of the Year simply designates the ‘person, group or concept that has most influenced the headlines, for better or worse.’
The last ones honored were Volodomir Zelensky and the ‘spirit of Ukraine,’ Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Greta Thunberg, and a group of journalists named Guardians, in that order.
For 2023, Time selected the following finalists: Taylor Swift, Sam Altman, the prosecutors who accused Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Barbie, Xi Jinping, the Hollywood workers on strike, Carlos III and Jerome Powell.
Taylor Swift
Swift, who recently surpassed a $1 billion net worth in October, according to Bloomberg, is one of the most influential music talents in history.
The singer and songwriter is one of the few musicians to achieve this financial feat with just music releases and performances, the outlet reported.
‘Taylor is in a unique position, in terms of monetizing her talent. In an era where artists have lost millions as album sales gave way to digital downloads she’s actually riding the tech wave, instead of going out with the digital tide,’ branding expert Doug Eldridge told FOX Business.
Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, was the final candidate on TIME’s shortlist this year, noted for his role in bringing down inflation in the United States.
His achievement was pulling together the ‘soft landing’ of managing soaring prices by increasing interest rates without deterring investment and plunging the country into recession.
Barbie
The only fictional character among the group of finalists paved her way to the nomination after starring in her first live-action film.
The film, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, became the highest-grossing film of 2023, grossing approximately $1.4 billion.
Xi Jinping
The president of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came in second place in 2017 and is now seeking to reach the cover of Time for the first time after having achieved an unprecedented third term in the history of the eastern country.
The prosecutors who charged Trump
In 2023, Donald Trump became the first president in the history of the United States to be formally charged with a crime, which, of course, made headlines around the globe.
For this reason, Time has as finalists the prosecutors who accused him in New York, Georgia, Florida and Washington DC.
Sam Altman
2023 also saw the widespread adoption of commercially viable artificial intelligence. Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI (known for ChatGPT), was very much at the forefront of the movement to bring capable new tools – and then spelled out the need for various forms of regulation.
Charles III
After several decades of waiting for the throne, the now king of England was crowned in May of this year, marking the end of the long reign of Elizabeth II, who was already named Person of the Year in 1952, precisely the year in which she became queen.
The Hollywood workers on strike
Vladimir Putin
Putin, who was already highlighted as Person of the Year in 2007, continues to wage his war in Ukraine.
However, 2023 came with an additional dispute: the conflict with the Wagner Group. Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the paramilitary group that was once an ally of the Russian leader, died a short time after his revolt in a plane crash.
