Overview
- TIME released its 2026 list Wednesday, featuring Google’s Sundar Pichai, actor Ranbir Kapoor, and chef Vikas Khanna.
- Andrew Ng’s profile credits Pichai with bringing AI to billions through tools such as Google AI Studio, NotebookLM, Gemini CLI, and Antigravity.
- Ayushmann Khurrana writes that Kapoor’s understated performances carry Indian stories to global audiences, and he is the only Indian actor on the list.
- Eric Ripert praises Khanna’s generosity and bridge‑building through food and his restaurant Bungalow, and Khanna calls the honor a source of immense pride.
- The roster also includes leaders like President Donald Trump, China’s Xi Jinping, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, and YouTube chief Neal Mohan, reflecting TIME’s view that influence spans politics, media, and culture.