Jensen Huang and Lisa Su Missing from TIME's 2026 List of Top 100 AI Leaders
Nvidia and AMD CEOs absent from the list, causing surprise.
1Major Omissions
TIME's 2026 list of the 100 most influential AI leaders does not include Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su. Both have previously appeared on the list and played central roles in AI hardware. This year, Nvidia's only representative is sustainability chief Josh Parker. The list also features celebrities like Ben Affleck and Paris Hilton.
2Who Made the List?
The 2026 list includes Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, SMIC co-CEO Liang Mong Song, and Huawei HiSilicon president He Tingbo. Other notable names are Andrew Feldman from Cerebras, Michael Intrator from CoreWeave, and Josh Payne from Nscale. These individuals represent Nvidia's HBM supplier, major GPU cloud customers, and competitors.
3China's Struggle
The list also features names from China. China is trying to replace Nvidia but is currently struggling. The efforts of Chinese companies in AI hardware and their attempts to become alternatives to Nvidia are reflected in the list. This highlights the competition in the global AI hardware market.
4Nvidia's Sustainability Efforts
Nvidia's sustainability chief Josh Parker is featured in the 'Thinkers' category. Parker's profile focuses on data center energy and water consumption, along with Nvidia's tripling of Scope 3 emissions in two years. The Rubin platform's shift to 100% liquid cooling is also a highlighted topic.
5Selection Criteria
TIME editor Sam Jacobs stated that the selection process was led by editor Ayesha Javed. The list of 100 represents the year's 'key storylines and who, in our opinion, are having the most influence in driving these developments.' The list includes names like Mark Zuckerberg, Demis Hassabis, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella.
6Lisa Su's Past Achievements
Lisa Su's absence from the list was surprising. Su was named TIME's 2024 CEO of the Year, appeared on the 2024 AI list and the main TIME100 in 2025, and was included among December's 'Architects of AI.' Despite this strong track record, her omission was notable.
7New Additions
This year's list focuses on new additions to TIME's community of AI leaders. In its fourth year, the TIME100 AI list aims to highlight new and influential figures in the industry. However, the absence of some key names has sparked debate.
8Impact on the AI Industry
The absence of CEOs from companies like Nvidia and AMD raises questions about how impact and contributions in the AI sector are evaluated. The names included and excluded reflect the power dynamics and trends in the AI world, providing important clues about the industry's future.