Every December, I eagerly await TIME magazine’s Person of the Year announcement. In 2024, the choice was predictable yet significant – Donald Trump. As TIME’s editors explain: “For 97 years, the editors of TIME have been picking the Person of the Year: the individual who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months. In many years, that choice is a difficult one. In 2024, it was not… Over time, we’ve seen the Person of the Year franchise shift: from Man of the Year to its current designation; from the period between the world wars, defined by leaders like Mohandas Gandhi and Wallis Simpson, to the first quarter of the 21st century, an era marked by the tremendous changes ushered in by a technological revolution. Although the American presidency has evolved across these eras, its influence has not diminished. Today, we are witnessing a resurgence of populism, a widening mistrust in the institutions that defined the last century, and an eroding faith that liberal values will lead to better lives for most people. Trump is both agent and beneficiary of it all. For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year.” Trump was also POTY in 2016.
This annual tradition holds a special place in my memory, dating back to 1982 when TIME named “The Computer” as its first non-human “Man of the Year.” I was in college then, unaware that this machine would fundamentally alter my life’s trajectory. When my father installed a computer in his Nariman Point office the following year, I found myself drawn to it, teaching myself BASIC programming and creating games (cricket match simulations, Othello, Mastermind, Monopoly). Those after-college hours spent in that room with a computer that seemed impossibly large sparked a passion that would lead me away from my planned career in civil engineering. Looking back, I can trace part of that pivotal decision to the inspiration I drew from that TIME cover story.
If I had a vote, my 2024 choice would have been different – either “Artificial Intelligence” itself or the duo of Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Jensen Huang (Nvidia). While Trump’s influence on America and the world remains to be seen, AI’s transformation of our society is already undeniable. Since ChatGPT’s debut two years ago, AI has catalysed innovation across virtually every sector, and we’re merely at the beginning of this revolution.
TIME’s selection isn’t just about recognising influence; it’s about marking moments that define our journey as a society. Whether we agree with their choice or not, it always sparks valuable discussion about what – and who – shapes our world. That’s precisely what makes this annual tradition so compelling: it’s not just about who wins, but about the conversations it starts.
