Time 100

Every day, millions of people go to work -- whether it is an office, a laboratory, an athletic field or a music studio -- but only a few rise to the top. The TIME 100 recognizes the world's most influential people in business, art, politics, science and other fields, men and women who have made a major impact on society, for better or worse. Click on the faces below for a sample of this year's TIME 100.

Builders and Titans

In selecting the TIME 100, the magazine's editors searched for newsmakers who have played a critical role in shaping modern society. The 20 picks in the "Builders and Titans" category represent the best in international business, men and women who have created successful ones, championed established ones and influenced financial policy.

The selections include:

• Bernard Arnault

• Sepp Blatter

• Sergey Brin and Larry Page

• Lord John Browne

• Warren Buffett ( Video )

• Fujio Cho and Hiroshi Okuda

• Michael Dell

• Carly Fiorina

• Omar al Issawi

• Steve Jobs (Full story)

• Abigail Johnson

• Rupert Murdoch

• David Neeleman (Full story)

• Lindsay Owen-Jones

• Azim Premji

• Howard Schultz ( Video )

• Lee Scott

• Belinda Stronach

• Dr. Daniel Vasella

• Meg Whitman

Heroes and Icons

They are sports stars, celebrities, political leaders and activists. But one characteristic each of TIME magazine's 20 picks in its "Heroes and Icons" category has in common is that, whatever they do and whatever they say, thousands around the world pay attention.

The selections include:

• Jordanian Queen Rania Abdullah ( Video )

• Arthur Agatston

• Lance Armstrong ( Video )

• David Beckham

• Bill Belichick

• John Bogle

• Bono ( Video | Full story)

• U.S. President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton

• Shirin Ebadi

• Mel Gibson

• B.K.S. Iyengar

• U.N. Special Representative Bernard Kouchner

• Aung San Suu Kyi

• Dalai Lama

• Nelson Mandela

• Yao Ming (Full story)

• Paula Radcliffe

• Arnold Schwarzenegger

• Oprah Winfrey

• Evan Wolfson

• Tiger Woods

Leaders and Revolutionaries

TIME magazine's 20 selections in its "Leaders and Revolutionaries" category have been on the front lines, figuratively and sometimes literally, in many of today's most difficult, dangerous and significant conflicts and issues. Day in and day out, they shape the news, for better or worse, with their words and actions.

The selections include:

• Lt. Gen. John Abizaid

• U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan

• U.S. President George W. Bush

• Mozambican Prime Minister Luisa Diogo

• Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

• Toshihiko Fukui

• Bill Gates (Full story)

• Chinese President Hu Jintao

• North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ( Video | Full story)

• Sen. John Kerry

• Osama bin Laden

• Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

• Pope John Paul II ( Video )

• Russian President Vladimir Putin

• U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice ( Video )

• Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani

• Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee

• Chinese Health Minister Wu Yi

• Abu Musab Zarqawi

Artists and Entertainers

The 20 members of the TIME 100 "Artist and Entertainer" class all have distinguished themselves for their talents -- in music, movies, art, design and literature. But it is their creativity, their ability to innovate and create, that sets them apart in their fields.

The selections include:

• Ferran Adria • Jerry Bruckheimer • Mark Burnett ( Video | Full story) • Katie Couric • Simon Cowell • John Galliano • Frank Gehry • Nicholas Hytner • Peter Jackson ( Video ) • Norah Jones • Charlie Kaufman • Nicole Kidman • Ken Kutaragi • Guy Laliberte • Hideo Nakata • Bruce Nauman • OutKast (Full story) • Sean Penn • Aishwarya Rai • J.K. Rowling ( Video )

Scientists and Thinkers

Whether it is in medicine, economics, law or technology, TIME magazine's 20 picks in its "Scientists and Thinkers" category have changed the way the world operates -- and thinks -- by themselves thinking outside the box.

The selections include:

• Louise Arbour • Niall Ferguson • German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer • Dr. Julie Gerberding (Full story) • Jurgen Habermas • Dr. Lee Jong-wook • Eric Lander • Bernard Lewis • Bjorn Lomborg • Sandra Day O'Connor ( Video ) • Steven Pinker (Full story) • Samantha Power • Tarik Ramadan • Paul Ridker • Jeffrey Sachs • Seoul National University scientists • Hernando de Soto • Jill Tarter ( Video | Full story) • Linus Torvalds • Edward Witten