SA’s Musk 21 on world power list
Tesla boss joins executives and world leaders among Forbes’ top 74 on planet
THE most powerful South African in the world is . . . Elon Musk. The Tesla and SpaceX boss‚ from Pretoria‚ came 21st on Forbes’ annual list of the planet’s most powerful yesterday‚ and is the sixth most influential chief executive.
The power parade‚ which features 74 people‚ is topped by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for the third consecutive year.
Next are US president-elect Donald Trump‚ German Chancellor Angela Merkel‚ Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Pope Francis.
Twenty-eight people on the list are chief executives, and the top 10 – all based in the US – run firms with a combined market capitalisation of $3-trillion (R42-trillion).
Musk‚ with a net worth of R11.5-billion‚ makes electric cars and solar products through Tesla and spacecraft with SpaceX.
The South African was one of the tech industry magnates who met Trump on Wednesday‚ in a bid to mend fences with a largely pro-Hillary Clinton industry and promote job creation and trade.
The Forbes list, now in its eighth year, identifies 74 people – one for every 100 million on the planet – whose actions have the most impact around the world.
Factors taken into consideration include the number of people a person has power over, the financial resources they control, whether they have influence in more than one sphere, and how actively they wield their power to change the world.
Trump’s rise to second from No 72 last year is the biggest on the list yet.
Other notable entries associated with him include US vice-president-elect Mike Pence at No 69, outgoing ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson who was selected this week as Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, at No 24, and Blackstone Group chief executive Stephen Schwarzman, who has been appointed to Trump’s panel of economic advisers, at No 52.
Several Trump donors are also on the list.
Merkel remains the most powerful woman, at No 3.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is a new addition at 13.
Saudi Arabia oil minister Khalid alFalih is another newcomer, at 49, as is Syrian President Bashar alAssad, at 63.
Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick, who drove the company to become the richest startup in history, is new at 64.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, 32, is the youngest on the list, at No 10.
“Forbes’s list this year . . . reflects rapid and profound change happening around the globe,” Forbes contributing editor David Ewalt said.
“The biggest trend this year is likely the rise to power of Donald Trump, as well as the increasing power of his supporters and allies.” – TMG and NZ Stuff