AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: FiveThirtyEight.com founder
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0
PRO: The numbers nerd came to prominence during the 2008 election, applying logic honed on baseball statistics to the presidential race, resulting in segment-specific, data-driven and invariably accurate predictions.
CON: Silver's lackluster Oscar picks — Taraji P. Henson over Penélope Cruz? Seriously? — proved he should probably stick to politics.