The 2011 TIME 100 Poll

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes that you think are the most influential people in the world. Though official voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list has now closed (with Rain as the 2011 readers' choice), users can continue to vote for their favorites until the final list, selected by our editors, is revealed on Thursday, April 21st

TIME 100 Candidates

Dick Costolo

By TIME StaffMonday, Apr. 04, 2011
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Noah Berger / The New York Times

Age: 47
Occupation: CEO of Twitter
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0

In just five years, Twitter has won the hearts of microblog skeptics, 140 characters at a time. Helmed by CEO Dick Costolo, formerly of Google, the site boasts more than 200 million users spitting narcissism without limit, with just enough brilliant morsels sprinkled throughout to make each real-time breakfast update worth wading through. Under Costolo's guidance, the elasticity of Twitter has produced celebrities, fueled revolutions and, yes, even given us the ability to know who shares our love of Pop-Tarts.

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