TIME’s CEO Of The Year Is The Chill YouTube Chief Neal Mohan

Photo: Jessica Chou for TIME

India-West News Desk

SAN BRUNO, CA – Time magazine has crowned YouTube boss Neal Mohan as its ‘2025 CEO of the Year,’ calling him the ‘calm captain’ of the world’s biggest distraction engine. The profile paints a picture of a soft-spoken executive who shapes what billions watch without ever raising his voice.

The magazine describes him as a culture maker. In its words: YouTube is creating the cultural diet the world now lives on. And another line: Mohan is the farmer. What he cultivates becomes what we eat.

Mohan, now 52, grew up partly in Lucknow, where he learned Sanskrit and Hindi. He likes to joke that he had to cram nine years of both languages into a few short months. He once told USA Today that some of his closest lifelong friends came from that time.

TIME has fun with the contrast between his influence and his personality. It says the pilot of the world’s most powerful distraction machine is surprisingly mellow. He likes watching sports, going to his daughters dance recitals, and open white shirts, just normal stuff.

Even his favorite candy gets a cameo. It is Butterfinger, which the magazine calls not very exciting. According to the profile, if you ask Mohan to appear in your YouTube video, he probably will. He will not shine, but he will not flop either.

Mohan took over YouTube in 2023 after his mentor Susan Wojcicki stepped aside. In the two years since, the company has tightened its hold on global attention despite fierce rivals.

Under Mohan’s watch, YouTube has fully moved into the living room with YouTube TV becoming the preferred cable replacement. Half of all YouTube viewing now happens on a television. The platform also owns the quick hit end of the market. YouTube Shorts reports two billion logged in monthly users, roughly matching the numbers Meta reports for Reels.

Mohan was born in Lafayette in Indiana. His father was a civil engineer who returned to the US for his doctoral studies. The family moved to Lucknow when Neal was twelve. After finishing school there, Mohan went on to Stanford University for both his undergraduate degree and his MBA.

Before becoming YouTubes chief, he led Googles display and video ads business. Colleagues say he likes describing YouTube as the best stage in the world.