Tim Cook and Walter Isaacson Named to TIME's List of 100 Most Influential People

time 2012 influential coverTIME magazine today released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and two of the selections have close ties to Apple: CEO Tim Cook and Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson.

Each selection is accompanied by an essay by another prominent personality or close associate outlining why the person qualifies for inclusion in the list. The essay on Cook is written by former vice president Al Gore, who has served on Apple's board of directors since 2003.

It is difficult to imagine a harder challenge than following the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple. Yet Tim Cook, a soft-spoken, genuinely humble and quietly intense son of an Alabama shipyard worker and a homemaker, hasn't missed a single beat.

Fiercely protective of Jobs' legacy and deeply immersed in Apple's culture, Cook, 51, has already led the world's most valuable and innovative company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly.

He has indelibly imprinted his leadership on all areas of Apple — from managing its complex inner workings to identifying and shepherding new "insanely great" technology and design breakthroughs into the product pipeline.

Isaacson, a former editor of TIME, is profiled by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, who points to his trio of biographies covering Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs for their impact on understanding key figures in history.

This is influence of the best species, educating us while demonstrating the continued fascination of the seriously examined life, rendered by Isaacson with the objectivity of a true historian and the flair of a born storyteller. But what most separates Isaacson, 59, from would-be peers is his wisdom in choosing subjects whose individual talents have affected all our lives.

TIME's 2012 list of the world's most influential people is the magazine's cover story for next week's issue and highlights representatives in five different categories: breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders, and icons.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

When Is iPhone 17 Coming Out?

Thursday July 24, 2025 9:11 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 series is expected to debut in September 2025. This release follows Apple's recent trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. To unveil the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Tuesday July 22, 2025 5:00 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, as of July 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14...
iOS 18

Apple Shares iOS 18.6 Release Notes

Thursday July 24, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
While the focus is now on iOS 26, there is still an iOS 18.6 update incoming. As noted by Aaron Zollo, Apple on Wednesday re-labeled iOS 18.6 Beta 4 as simply iOS 18.6, meaning that it is the Release Candidate version. This change effectively confirms that the update will be released to the public next week. Alongside the new label, Apple shared release notes for iOS 18.6, which is a...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Saturday July 26, 2025 5:50 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should launch in late September, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, as of July 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Thursday July 24, 2025 7:08 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent 1

Foldable iPhone's Display Sizes Leaked

Tuesday July 22, 2025 6:00 pm PDT by
Apple's first foldable iPhone will be equipped with a 7.8-inch inner display, and a 5.5-inch outer display, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already mentioned those same display sizes for the foldable iPhone in March, meaning there are now multiple sources backing those sizes, so long as TrendForce is not simply copying what Kuo said. ...
Apple AppleCare One hero

Apple Announces 'AppleCare One' Subscription Plan for Multiple Devices

Wednesday July 23, 2025 5:06 am PDT by
Apple today announced AppleCare One, a new subscription plan for customers to cover multiple devices with a single plan. AppleCare One starts at $19.99 per month for up to three products, with the ability to add more for $5.99 per month for each additional device. The plan incudes all of the benefits that come with AppleCare+, such as unlimited repairs for accidents, priority support,...
airpods pro 2 green

Apple Releases Public Beta Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Thursday July 24, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today provided public beta testers with updated beta firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, allowing them to test the new AirPods features in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware is only available to developers and public beta testers at the current time, and a device running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 is required to install the update. The firmware adds several...

Top Rated Comments

gri Avatar
173 months ago
Cook - ok; but Isaacson? Nothing against him but where does he influence the world by writing bios? These are on important people, granted, but still. Zuckerberg would be more important as Facebook clearly changed things, also Twitter (and I have no account with either).
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dreyrugr Avatar
173 months ago
Time's lists are the result of uncontrolled, unscientific online polling of a self selecting population.

They are entirely meaningless.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imageWIS Avatar
173 months ago
Cook - ok; but Isaacson? Nothing against him but where does he influence the world by writing bios? These are on important people, granted, but still. Zuckerman would be more important as Facebook clearly changed things, also Twitter (and I have no account with either)

It's Zuckerberg.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdowns Avatar
173 months ago
Pardon me but I don't want to live in a world where Rihanna makes a 100 Most Influential People list.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imageWIS Avatar
173 months ago
Walter Isaacson? Really??
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trauma1 Avatar
173 months ago
I just don't see how Tim Cook has been that influential. I know he has stepped in as CEO previously, but he's still new to the role.
But he was COO for many, many years.

His specialty is supply chain management. It was Cook that said "inventory is fundamentally evil". It was Cook that slashed inventory levels down to six days, instead of months.

A lot of the successful operational strategies the company has been using fell under Cook's domain, not Jobs.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)