Pichai, Mamdani, Vikas Khanna, Neal Mohan, Kiran Musunuru On TIME100 List

Photo Source (Top Row Left to Right): Damian Lemanski—Bloomberg_Getty Images, Dina Litovsky for TIME, Jeenah Moon—The New York Times_Redux
Photo Source (Bottom Row Left to Right): Kevin Mazur—Getty Images, Kiran Musunuru, Violeta Sofia—Deadline_Contour RA_Getty Images

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY-Google CEO Sundar Pichai, chef Vikas Khanna, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani , and Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor are among those named to TIME magazine’s 2026 list of the 100 Most Influential People.

Released April 15, the annual TIME100 list honors individuals recognized for their impact on culture, innovation, leadership, and public life. This year’s list also includes President Donald Trump, Pope Leo XIV, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman.

Pichai was recognized for expanding the reach of artificial intelligence through products used worldwide. In his profile for TIME, Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.AI and co-founder of Google Brain, said Pichai has overseen the conversion of Google research breakthroughs into tools used by billions since becoming CEO in 2015. TIME said Pichai has preserved a startup-style agility at Google while advancing new AI products, including Google AI Studio, NotebookLM, Gemini CLI, and Antigravity.

Mohan was honored for leading YouTube’s continued global growth. TIME said the platform has become a destination for content ranging from NFL games and podcasts to creators such as MrBeast and CoComelon. The magazine said Mohan combines technical credibility with business skill and creator trust. In the profile, creator Michelle Khare said, “Approachability is one of Neal’s superpowers.”

Khanna was recognized for his influence in food, culture and humanitarian work. TIME said his work reflects how influence can take many forms, including “a meal prepared by chef Vikas Khanna.” In Khanna’s profile, chef Eric Ripert, co-owner of Le Bernardin and a James Beard Award winner, described him as “a man of extraordinary heart,” adding that he uses food as “a universal language to build bridges and foster understanding.” Khanna is the founder of New York restaurant Bungalow, which TIME described as more than a restaurant, calling it “a living expression of storytelling,” where dishes reflect memory, heritage and shared identity.

Mamdani was recognized for his political rise in the United States. TIME said the New York mayor has given the Democratic Party “a new source of momentum.” The magazine noted that while Mamdani faces challenges tied to housing policy, finances, and coalition politics, he has worked with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on childcare initiatives and secured federal housing funds.

Researcher and cardiologist Kiran Musunuru was named for his work in gene-editing and cardiovascular genomics. Musunuru, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, focuses his research on genetic approaches to treating heart and metabolic diseases.

Kapoor was recognized for his contribution to cinema and storytelling. Writing his profile for TIME, actor Ayushmann Khurrana said there are actors who pursue legacy and those who become one through their craft, calling Kapoor “the latter.” Khurrana wrote that Kapoor has expanded the emotional vocabulary of Indian cinema through restraint and authenticity, and has taken Indian stories to international audiences.

TIME said this year’s honorees are “changing culture in unprecedented ways,” reflecting the many forms influence now takes across professions, generations and countries. (All photos from Time)