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If there’s any doubt regarding Putin’s world dominance, know this, it’s now illegal in Russia to share an image of Putin photoshopped to look like a clown.
The former KGB guru is now arguably the most powerful man in the world. He is currently in his third term as the Russian president.
The Chancellor of Germany since November 2005, Merkel has been an instrumental figure in setting policy that affects the rest of Europe.
She has been widely described as the de facto leader of the European Union throughout her tenure as Chancellor.
They said it could never be done. Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States, but prior to that he lived a normal life as a civilian… well, sometimes normal. The real estate mogul became a reality television star in 2004 on The Apprentice, and would remain there for 11 years.
Trump had contemplated running for president on multiple occasions, but decided to formally jump in for the 2016 race. The rest is history.
Mr. Jinping is the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. He’s considered to be one of the most prominent members of the Crown Prince Party.
How can an economist be one of the world’s most powerful people? When they are the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
During her tenure she has focused on keeping interest rates low to avoid inflation.
The 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church has had many firsts. He is the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, the first pope from outside of Europe, and the first pope from the Americas.
The co-founder and CEO of Google is naturally one of the world’s most powerful people, definitely among private sector folks. His net worth sits at $49.3 billion as of January 2017.
Google’s total value is around $495 billion. In 2016, the company was placed underneath the Alphabet umbrella, making Mr. Page the CEO of Alphabet.
Gates is still among the world’s richest men, mostly through his monumental contributions during the tech revolution.
The founder of Microsoft helped the brand grow into the world’s largest PC company in a few short years.
The current Prime Minister of India has been in office since May 2014. Modi has worked to raise foreign direct investment into the Indian economy but has been confronted with scrutiny over his Hindu nationalist beliefs.
He and his wife are the product of an arranged marriage, getting engaged at age 13 and marrying her at age 18.
With a net worth of nearly $59 billion, Mark Zuckerberg is not only one of the most powerful people in the world but he’s also the 5th richest. It all started in 2004 when Zuckerberg launched Facebook in his Harvard dorm room.
He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, formed the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative which is aimed to “advance human potential and promote equality in areas such as health, education, scientific research and energy. They pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares.
The Hungarian investor has had a long career in banking and finance, but recently he’s become famous for bankrolling several political movements and causes around the world.
He was the initial donor for the Center of American Progress, which has since spawned the blogs ThinkProgress and Science Progress. Soros now has a net worth of $25.2 billion.
The second richest person in the world, Bezos has turned his little internet sales company into the behemoth of the world wide web.
Amazon.com is not only the world’s largest online shopping retailer, it is starting to find its legs in the realm of audio and video streaming. Bezos has also been expanding his entrepreneurial repertoire with his aerospace company Blue Origin, which is attempting test flights into outer space.
Since the age of 19, Buffett has known that he wanted to be an investor and business magnate. He attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania at that age, learning the tools of the trade before starting his many business partnerships.
As with Soros, Warren Buffett has donated millions to political causes for the democratic party.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has served in her role since David Cameron stepped down in July 2016.
May has been at the helm of efforts to reduce illegal immigration for the past several years. In 2016, she opposed the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.
Draghi has served as the President of the European Central Bank since November 2011. In December of that year he oversaw a $640 billion three-year loan program from the ECB to European banks.
The Supreme Leader of Iran was elected in 1989, having received support from 60 or the 74 members of the assembly.
Khamenei has been instrumental in Iran’s return to religious fundamentalism. In 2010, he issued a fatwa which bans any insult to companions of Muhammad or Muhammad’s wives.
The Mexican gazillionaire is also the owner of one of the world’s biggest newspapers, The New York Times. This has led to a great deal of controversy surrounding the paper’s coverage of events related to Mexico.
Slim’s net worth is equal to 6 percent of Mexico’s gross domestic product and he accounts for 40% of the listings on the Mexican Stock Exchange.
Keqiang’s role within the Communist Youth League fostered his ascendance into Chinese political prominence. He assumed the post of Premier in 2013 and has been instrumental in the Chinese government’s shift towards an export-led economy that’s focused on internal consumption.
