There was a joke on Twitter this fall: Decades from now, Ph.D. candidates in history will specialize in a particular day from 2020. Which is to say this year was, uh, big. Covid, a reckoning on race, and a U.S. election made compiling the fourth annual Bloomberg 50 easier in ways (many people are doing notable things) and harder in others (many people are doing notable things).
Here are a few rising above 2020’s high bar in our look at the people in business, entertainment, finance, politics, and science and technology whose accomplishments merit recognition: Aurora James (page 44) got retailers to pledge 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and Tim Bray (page 63) quit his executive job at Amazon.com to protest the firing of workers who’d raised concerns about Covid. The president of Taiwan (page 74) kept the pandemic under control, and when Australian wildfires raged, comedian Celeste Barber (page 50) raised millions in relief.
Check out page 75 for alums of our list whose 2020 efforts also deserved a nod. To see who might appear on next year’s Bloomberg 50, turn to page 76—though we’d be lying if we said we could predict the next few days, let alone 2021.
SUMIT SINGH
CEO, CHEWY INC.
DANIA BEACH, FLA. As the retailer came to dominate the online pet supply business, its stock price more than doubled, driving up its market value by almost $15 billion, to $26 billion.
This story is from the December 07, 2020 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 07, 2020 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts
Running in Circles
A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking
The Last-Mover Problem
A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps
Tick Tock, TikTok
The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment
New Money, New Problems
In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers