Success and power are hard concepts to define, but generally, we refer to the influence one has over other people’s actions and beliefs. It is not only about wealth, but a combination of multiple things that gives certain people the power to make an impact. Only a few people have economic and political influence, but those who possess it can affect the lives of millions of people for better or worse.
Even though we might not realize it, our lives have been impacted by the actions of these powerful men. Their influence spreads all around the world and leaves a mark on history.
We have conducted a list of 7 most powerful men in the world, so read until the end to see what led people to this position. This list contains all kinds of people, but mostly politicians, leaders and entrepreneurs that revolutionized their industry.
1. Jeff Bezos
Jeffrey Preston Bezos is one of the world’s most powerful men. At the base of his career, he is an entrepreneur, investor, and computer engineer from the U.S. He is the creator and executive chairman of Amazon, where he formerly served as president and chief executive officer.
He holds an electrical engineering bachelor’s degree and a computer science master’s degree that helped him put the foundations of what we know today as Amazon. He operated on Wall Street in a number of industries from 1986 until early 1994. Then, in late 1994, on a cross-country drive from New York City to Seattle, Bezos founded Amazon.
The firm started out as an online bookshop, but has now grown to encompass video and music streaming, cloud computing, AI, and other e-commerce products, as well as services. With the help of the Amazon Web Services branch, it became the world’s biggest online sales company and the Internet corporation with the largest revenue.
2. Pope Francis
Pope Francis is the ruler of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church. He is recognized as the leader of the Catholic Church by people from all around the world. As a result, he is one of the world’s most popular and powerful men and leaders.
He has been recognized as the Catholic Church’s leader and the ruler of the Vatican City State since 2013. Francis is the first pope to be a representative of the Society of Jesus and the first pope that is not from Europe since Gregory III, a Syrian who reigned in the seventh century. But these are not the only reasons why he is so important and loved.
Even though throughout history, papal travel was something rare, Pope Francis made his appearance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013. When returning to Rome, he shared his opinion on gay Catholics to reporters. He stated that if someone is gay, but has a relationship with the Lord, he doesn’t have the right to judge them.
Moreover, he is also an environmental activist and shared the dangers of climate change in a 184-page encyclical, a Papal message. He also approached world leaders on their failure to reach effective global agreements regarding the environment. His contribution to the world is definitely what makes him part of the most powerful men in the world.
How can you hate him… right?
3. Bill Gates
Bill Gates, the American business billionaire, has a wide range of interests. He is mainly a software developer, but also philanthropist, author, and landowner. He is well recognized for being a co-founder of Microsoft. He served as the company’s chairman, CEO, President, and Chief Software Architect, among other responsibilities.
Gates is without a doubt the most well-known entrepreneur of the 1970s and 1980s microcomputer revolution. He is, however, frequently chastised for business practices that are seen as anti-competitive. He is currently more interested in philanthropic activities. Him and Melinda Gates, his wife, founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He is currently invested in working on climate change, education, development, and global health issues.
His success and influence are why he is an important part of our list of powerful men.Â
4. Emmanuel MacronÂ
French politician Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron has served as the country’s President since May 14, 2017. Macron was nominated deputy secretary-general by President François Hollande immediately after his victory in May 2012, making him one of Hollande’s closest aides.
Premier Manuel Valls appointed him to the French cabinet as Minister of the Economy, Industry, and Digital Affairs in August 2014. While in office, Macron championed a number of pro-business reforms. He resigned from the government in August 2016 and began campaigning for the French presidential election in 2017.
Despite the controversy around him and the scandals he was involved in, Macron seems to be the only presidential contender who fully comprehends the magnitude of the present situation, he understands the challenges and risks that the republic is facing and, he is one of the few leaders who rules based on principles.
There are many reasons why Emmanuel Macron is so important, but he certainly gained his success. Do YOU consider him as one of the most powerful men?
5. Mark ZuckerbergÂ
We all know Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, but only few know why he is among the most powerful men in the world and how he gained his success. So let’s find out!
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American media magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. At the young age of 24, he managed to become the youngest billionaire in the world and reached success through a project that he started in his college dorm room with a few friends. Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCollum and Chris Hughes founded Facebook in 2004. The platform now reached over the impressive amount of 900 million users.
Even though the service was firstly limited to a few college campuses, the platform quickly gained success and popularity and by 2012, it reached over one billion users. As of November 2021, Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth was estimated at around $126 billion.
It takes a lot of work and dedication to reach success and Zuckerberg did just that. His perseverance and passion for what he was doing showed through and led him to where he is now. Amazing, right?
And if you want to find out more about his brilliant mind and business secrets, we recommend you read this book to answer the famous question that everybody has in mind: What did Mark Zuckerberg do right?.
6. Donald Trump
We can definitely say that the American politician, Donald Trump, is one of the most powerful men and holds and important place on this list.
As we all know, he was the 45th President of the United States from 2017 to 2021, but he is also a media personality and businessman. Not only that, but Trump was also a real estate developer and businessman who owned, operated, or licensed his name to a number of casinos, hotels, golf courses, resorts, and residential properties in the New York City area and throughout the world.
Trump also gave his name to a slew of retail businesses in the 1980s, including branded apparel lines, perfume, food, and furniture, as well as Trump University, which offered real-estate education seminars from 2005 to 2010. Donald Trump was the first and only billionaire president of the United States.
7. Vladimir PutinÂ
Yet another of the world’s most powerful men and politician is Vladimir Putin. Taking into consideration the most recent situation and the tension around the world, Putin has gained even more popularity globally, but not in a good way. He is harshly criticized for the war crimes and humanitarian massacres in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has been President of Russia since 2012, but has been involved in politics long before and gradually moved to this position. As of 2022, Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko is the longest-serving European President, making Putin the second.
Economically speaking, Russia grew significantly during the first eight years of Putin’s Presidency. In terms of buying power, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) increased by 72 percent, real incomes increased by 2.5, real wages increased more than three times, unemployment and poverty decreased by more than half, and Russians’ self-assessed life satisfaction increased dramatically.
Due to his recent military actions in Ukraine and sanctions towards Russia from countries all over the world, the economy has totally collapsed. We can say that during Vladimir Putin’s presidency, the economy of Russia has faced drastic fluctuations, leading to this moment where the country is totally isolated form the West, the international financial system and many more.
Which of these powerful men do you consider to be the most important? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
And if you enjoyed this article and want to find out more, make sure you also check out: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ivanka Trump.
