Remember last year, when investors were screaming for Tim Cook to step down because he apparently wasn't the right man to lead Apple? My, how times have changed. Today Time magazine released its shortlist of candidates for Person of the Year, and there's Tim Cook, holding his own among seven other worthy candidates.
It's worth noting that Steve Jobs, for all of his importance, never won the prestigious ranking. Tim Cook's last 12 months at Apple so far has seen record iPhone sales, Apple stocks breaking all kinds of records, the unveiling of the long-rumored Apple Watch, and Tim Cook's own announcement of his sexual orientation in Bloomberg Businessweek. Cook said he did the latter to "inspire people to insist on their equality," and the move established himself as the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
But like Jobs, Cook may lose the ranking to other candidates. Cook's up against the likes of the Ferguson protesters, Russian President Vladimir Putin, singer Taylor Swift, and CEO Jack Ma of Alibaba. Cook will also have to edge out Masoud Barzani, acting president of the Kurdish Region of Iraq, and Roger Goodell of the National Football League. Even the Ebola healthcare workers are up for the ranking.
Time gives the Person of the Year award to "a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine" the the editorial team believe has "for better or for worse done the most to influence the events of the year." Tim Cook was last nominated in 2012, the year the award went to U.S. President Barack Obama.
Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.
