Time revealed its always risible "100 Most Influential People in the World" list on Wednesday. The magazine pegged fewer technology figures as global influence-peddlers than usual, though perhaps the inclusion of Anonymous (whose membership numbers are famously legion) means the list has more than ever before.
The annual list, as usual, had some no-brainers to go with a generous helping of head-scratchers. Put Barack Obama in the former category and Spanx inventor Sara Blakely in the latter (nothing against modified girdles, but Thurman Munch's resurrection of the turtleneck dickey seems just as clever—somewhat less broadly appealing, perhaps, but also a lot less embarrassing to be caught wearing).
And what to make of Walter Isaacson? Sure, the Steve Jobs biographer wrote a widely read book, but as a stand-in for the departed Apple founder—who can no longer be on the list for obvious reasons—Isaacson's inclusion represents quite a step down.
Still, Time did see fit to name Tim Cook as a Most Influential People person. Apple's new chief executive doesn't have the manic genius of Jobs, but he's already led the company to its most profitable quarter ever, appears to be quietly drawing down the patent stand-offs initiated by his predecessor, and is taking steps to address the labor conditions at factories run by Apple's China-based suppliers.
Other techies on Time's list: Netscape co-founder Marc Andreeson, who has long since licked his wounds from the Dot-Com Era browser wars and is now one of the most prescient start-up investors in the business; Mashable founder Pete Cashmore, at just 26 years old in charge of a tech media empire of his very own; Facebook chief operating officer and 5 p.m. clock puncher Sheryl Sandberg; renewable energy guru Donald Sadoway; Uncanny Valley explorer Henrik Schärfe; and, of course, Anonymous, which as a force of influence over the past year has arguably been greater than the rest of the list combined.
Except for maybe Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who's been instrumental in the arrests of various Anonymous hackers, including the suspected members of LulzSec. He also led the charge in the dismantling of Raj Rajaratnam's insider trading ring, brought down online poker in the U.S., liquidated Bernie Madoff's investment fund, and oversaw various successful prosecutions of assorted terrorists, Mafioso, and fraudsters.
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