Monday, Apr. 04, 2011
Wael Ghonim
Age: 30
Occupation: Google executive and Egyptian-democracy activist
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0
Wael Ghonim has updated the revolutionary adage that when history can't be written with the pen, it must be written with the rifle. The Facebook social movement started by Ghonim to protest the police murder of Internet activist Khaled Saeed lit the spark that started the Tahrir Square demonstrations and ultimately brought down Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In an interview he gave upon his release after 11 days in detention, he humbly but passionately articulated the demand for freedom, striking an emotional chord that boosted the protest movement into a force Mubarak could not resist.