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The 25 Most Powerful People In The World, According To Forbes

By Drake Baer
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Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has the world in his hands, according to Forbes.  AP

Forbes has just declared Russian President Vladimir Putin to be the most powerful person on Earth.

"As the undisputed, unpredictable, and unaccountable head of an energy-rich, nuclear-tipped state, no one would ever call him weak," writes Forbes Senior Editor Caroline Howard.

For the second year in a row, Putin edges out US President Barack Obama for the top spot.

With the exception of Pope Francis, the top six people are all in politics.

The business world cracks the top 10 in the form of Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who are tied at No. 9.

At only 30 years old, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest person on the list, while the 90-year-old king of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, is the oldest.

Newcomers include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Alibaba CEO Jack Ma. 

Here are the world's 25 most powerful people:  

1. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
2. Barack Obama, President of the US
3. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
4. Pope Francis, Head of the Roman Catholic Church 
5. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
6. Janet Yellen, Chair of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve System
7. Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
8. Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank
9. Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Cofounders of Google
10. David Cameron, Prime minister of the United Kingdom
11. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia
12. Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
13. Li Keqiang, Premier of China
14. Carlos Slim Helu, Honorary chairman of América Móvil
15. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
16. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
17. Francois Hollande, President of France
18. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase 
19. Ali Hoseini-Khamenei, Grand Ayatollah of Iran
20. Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil
21. Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric
22. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook 
23. Michael Bloomberg, CEO of Bloomberg
24. Charles Koch and David Koch, CEO and EVP of Koch Industries
25. Timothy Cook, CEO of Apple

For the full list, head to Forbes.  

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Drake Baer
Drake Baer
Drake Baer was Business Insider's editor-at-large, working across the newsroom to help produce ambitious journalism. For two and a half years before that, Baer served as deputy editor, overseeing a team of 20+ reporters and editors who cover the future of work, real estate, and small business. The fast-paced team was behind some of Insider's major packages in the last few years, including a state-by-state look into unemployment during the first year of the pandemic and in-depth profiles of "niche famous" characters such as real estate media tycoon Brandon Turner and HR icon Johnny C Taylor. They shed new light on big names, like Joe Biden, America's imperfect leader. He also cultivated thesis-oriented ideas journalism, whether it be on why "'diversity' and 'inclusion' are the emptiest words in corporate America" or why it's actually a horrible time to buy a house. (No, really, it is.) Before editing, his byline as a reporter was on the masthead for Fast Company and New York Magazine, covering the many intersections of social science, business, and economics. Baer has interviewed some our time's leading minds, including philanthropist Bill Gates, FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, NBA champion and investor Steph Curry, "growth mindset" psychologist Carol Dweck, the rapper Q-Tip, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, and the man who gave a name to "disruptive innovation," the late Clay Christensen.Baer has published two books, the most recent being Perception: How Our Bodies Shape Our Minds, with Dennis Proffitt. In 2014, New York Times bestselling author and Wharton professor Adam Grant highlighted his first book, Everything Connects, as one of the 12 business books to read that year. He has been featured as a speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival, presented at TedX Princeton, and moderated many panels.  
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