GDI/Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, a Swiss think tank, and MIT teamed up to create “Thought Leaders 2014: The Most Influential Thinkers,” a just-released, algorithmically determined list of “Who is influencing what we think today? Whose ideas are influencing ours?” Engagement in the “blogosphere,” “twittersphere,” and Wikipedia page citations across languages were among the many variables considered.
Nos. 1 and 2 on the list are Pope Francis and Tim Berners-Lee. The top ten also includes Muhammad Yunus, Jane Goodall, and Mario Vargas Llosa—an eclectic list indeed. [tweetable]Tom says he was “astonished, amazed, gobsmacked,” to be included among such notables.[/tweetable] He placed at No 32.
A few others: Garry Kasparov, No. 11; Stephen Hawking, No. 14; Tom’s intelectual hero, Daniel Kahneman, No. 17; Steven Pinker and Jaron Lanier, right after Tom at Nos. 33 and 34; E.O. Wilson, No. 41; Tom’s pal Guy Kawasaki at No. 43; Paul Krugman, No. 50; Michael Porter, No. 53; another of Tom’s intellectual heroes, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, No. 65; Thomas Friedman, No. 72; Francis Fukuyama, No. 91. I’d say Tom’s in good company!