The newsmakers who make our jobs easier — and so, so, so much harder

From CEOs and founders to pop stars and robots — this year’s headliners kept us busy. 

Some folks should take a vacation in 2024…

• Elon Musk: After renaming Twitter to X and killing the beloved blue bird, Musk somehow still found time to challenge Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight, tell X advertisers to F off, and, oh yeah, run SpaceX and Tesla. It’s time for the drama king of the year to sit one out. 
• Taylor Swift: This pop icon, who’s made headlines almost daily for the last 12 months, is due for some well-deserved rest. Swift became a billionaire in 2023, generated $4.3B for the US’s GDP with her Eras Tour, and was named Time’s person of the year. 
• Mark Zuckerberg: A longtime media darling, 2023 was no different for how many times “Zuck” made it onto our newsfeeds. The Meta founder launched Threads, $300 smart glasses, and — right under the wire — is building a $270m+ compound in Hawaii with an underground bunker.  

And we might grow tired of others by year’s end… 

• Sam Altman: If you were online at all in November, then you know about OpenAI’s tumultuous fallout with its founder and CEO. Now, a year after ChatGPT’s release, Altman is again at the helm of the AI company and was named Time’s CEO of the year. If that’s not enough, his longevity startup, Retro Biosciences, means he might be in the news — and on Earth — for even longer. 
• Adam Neumann: While Neumann’s first startup, WeWork, went bankrupt this year, his next company is already gaining traction. Flow, Neumann’s apartment startup, raised $350m from a16z back in 2022; this year, it completed its first building. Our crystal ball says we’ll be hearing more about this project in 2024. 
• Kim Kardashian: Don’t get us wrong, we wrote all about the accomplishments of this reality TV star turned business whiz. But with so many ventures, it means Kim K is constantly in the news. This year, Kardashian’s brand Skims hit a $4B valuation and she launched SKKY Partners, a private equity firm. 

But some we really hope to hear more from…

• ZEOs: Back in September, we wrote about Gen Z advisory boards. But we’ve written about Gen Z ~100x as the leaders of almost every new trend, from changing dairy preferences to new career paths, and we can’t wait to see what these crazy kids do next. 
• Our robot overlords: Artificial intelligence reigned supreme in 2023, but the technological advances are just getting started. We’re looking forward to hearing from AI in the form of generative chatbots, robot staff, robotaxis, and whatever innovations are to come. (Yes, we are sucking up just in case sentience is on the 2024 docket.)
• Unhinged mascots: We wrote about how Duolingo struck gold on social with its sassy mascot, Duo, and when McDonald’s murderous Grimace became an online sensation. Here’s hoping that more brands take note of the trend and offer up more zany, oddball characters in the new year.