In 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook was nominated for Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" award. He didn't win in the end, but another nomination is likely to happen again and he may very well be the finalist this time.
One reason is that he's already fast-tracked up the list of Time's annual top 100 influential people, landing in fourth place this year. It is his second time on the list. He was initially chosen in 2012, less than 12 months after Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs lost his battle with cancer.
The list of 100 includes YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella, and Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun. However, the roster also includes reality show star Kim Kardashian, Vladimir Putin and Kardashian's better half, Kanye West.
Each person named on the list is given a write-up citing their accomplishments as part of the prestigious group. Civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis penned Cook's citation.
"It could not have been easy for Tim Cook to step into the immense shadow cast by the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. But with grace and courage and an unabashed willingness to be his own man, Tim has pushed Apple to unimaginable profitability - and greater social responsibility," Lewis said.
Lewis also notes Cook's support of individual rights to privacy while embracing equality and LGBT rights.
Lewis' note focuses on Cook's ability to innovate. The newly debuted Watch, Apple's first ever wearable, is all Cook and, of course, a bit of Jony Ive.
"[Cook] has shown that profitability and integrity can go hand in hand. Tim has done this while introducing, time and again, some of the most innovative products the world has ever seen. Tim Cook is proof that even the most successful companies can and should be judged by more than just their bottom line," wrote Lewis.
Despite the fact that the Apple Watch is dominating tech headlines for most of this year, it is a bit surprising that its designer, Ive, didn't make the top 100 list. Ive did contribute a write-up on Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who did make the list.
Ive wrote Chesky has an "obsession with detail and practicality" and helps make "what could so easily be noble but abstract ideas functional and real."
