Elon Musk Person of the Year: Is Time magazine right?

Siam (Yes)

Elon Musk has been named Time's ‘2021 Person of the Year,' and while this may be shocking to some people, the man richly deserves the award. Elon Musk is not only the wealthiest individual on Earth; he owns the electronic car company Tesla and is the CEO of SpaceX, the aerospace company. Time did not give him the award because of his wealth, but because of the influence he has had, both on and off Earth this year. 

Musk may appear arrogant and obnoxious, but his goals for bettering humankind and the planet has impacted all of us, whether we care to admit it or not. While Tesla, valued at $1 trillion, has made him famous and wealthy, Musk also launched the first-ever mission to the Earth's orbit with a crew of tourists, giving the ordinary person a chance to go into space. He is now spearheading America's space industry with more trips in the coming year. In the long term, his space ventures and ecofriendly approach to vehicles are important steps for the survival of our species.

Musk has been involved in other practical ventures, including cryptocurrency, robotics, brain-computer implants, solar power, and building underground tunnels to move freight and people at high speeds. And he has brought the reality of Wall Street to the masses by educating the public on finances and how to invest.

While Musk's outspoken online behavior has at times been provocative, no one can argue that this individual born with Asperger syndrome is innovative and a genius with few failures in the world of business. The majority of people with this syndrome never make it past high school. Elon Musk deserves this recognition and to be celebrated.

Tyler (No)

Elon Musk's title as 'person of the year' is one he is not worthy of holding. Although Musk holds a great deal of influence, one can certainly question whether he uses that influence for good. Although the nominees were determined based upon their influence, it is doubtful that it is intended for somebody with a negative to be recognized. 

Musk's downplaying of the coronavirus may have negatively influenced his followers into taking the virus less seriously. Musk has expressed his displeasure with COVID health mandates, particularly when they affect his manner of conducting business. While stay-at-home orders were in place throughout the state of California, Musk was calling these measures 'fascist' and claimed that they are robbing freedom from Americans.  

Although Musk seemed to be concerned about the environment in his electric car development, he criticized the government's decision to incentivize domestic unions for utilizing and manufacturing electric cars. Since Tesla has resisted unionization, Musk would not receive any form of incentive to produce electric cars. Musk seems to be pushing for the progress of environmental advancements as long as they benefit his pockets.

Musk appears to be so entrenched in his quest to conquer space that he forgets about some of the people suffering on his own planet. Former employees sued Musk for unfair labor practices, including being underpaid and overworked, while Musk explained that employees could not speak about work-related topics. Time would have been better suited picking another, less controversial figure for their Person of the Year than Musk.