Hailey Bieber sells her beauty brand Lorde to Elf in a $1 billion deal
Hailey Bieber is selling her makeup and skincare brand Lorde to Elf Beauty in a deal worth up to $1 billion.
Unbranded – Newsworthy
What do Google’s Sundar Pichai, Hailey Bieber, and Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson have in common? They are all named among the most influential leaders shaping global business on Time magazine’s 2026 100 Most Influential Companies list.
Now in its sixth year and largest edition to date, the list includes 205 companies across 20 sectors. According to Time magazine, this year’s selections are united by a common theme: the power of storytelling. The magazine says the companies honored are not only driving innovation, but also crafting a narrative that inspires employees, investors and consumers to believe in the company’s long-term vision.
That idea is crystallized by Pichai’s decade-long effort to transform Google into an “AI-first” company. While this strategy once seemed premature, Time magazine notes that persistence paid off. Parent company Alphabet reached a market capitalization of $4 trillion in January 2026, and its AI platform Gemini currently accounts for about a quarter of the world’s AI traffic.
The same storytelling principles apply across industries. Bieber built Lorde into a media-driven brand before launching any products, leading to its $1 billion sale to Elf Beauty. Meanwhile, Donaldson’s Beast Industries continues to expand beyond YouTube into entertainment, consumer products and technology.
The companies on this year’s list range in size and scope, from startups with just a few employees to global giants employing more than 1 million people. What unites them is their ability to tell stories so compelling that others follow, Time magazine writes.
Here are some of Time’s most influential companies in 2026, broken down by category.
titans
According to Time, DHL Group’s inclusion on this list reflects the critical role that the world’s logistics and supply chain leaders continue to play in connecting economies and enabling commerce.
Other Titans include:
- Dell Technologies
- boeing
- toyota
- Netflix
- Coursera
leader
Time magazine said Boston Dynamics’ inclusion on its list of most influential companies exemplifies how companies at the forefront of automation and robotics are helping define the future of work and industry.
Other leaders include:
- Uniqlo
- chevron
- costco
- sesame workshop
- Dr. Bronner’s
- T-Mobile
destroyer
Chime has been recognized as one of this year’s disruptors, the magazine writes, reflecting how startups are reshaping traditional industries by rethinking how services are delivered.
Other destroyers include:
- pipe
- wonder
- Karushi
- quizlet
- Barnes & Noble
- TikTok
innovator
The magazine said Medtronic was recognized for advancing “smarter surgery” as part of a broader push to further integrate technology into the health care system.
Other innovators include:
- shark ninja
- master card
- maven clinic
- breeze airways
- IBM
- warner music group
pioneer
Time magazine noted that Fujifilm was recognized for blending legacy technology with new relevance, highlighting how established brands can reinvent themselves in a rapidly evolving market.
Other pioneers include:
- OpenAI
- discord
- web build
- blue land
- open table
impact award
Time’s Impact Awards recognize five companies that have driven meaningful change across key global priorities, with one winner each in the areas of artificial intelligence, health, sustainability, equality and culture.
This year’s Impact Award winners are:
- Xenco Medical (Health)
- Sunking (Sustainability)
- CareMessage (equality)
- Depop (Culture)
- Waystar (artificial intelligence)
New this year: List of industry leaders
This year, Time editors also launched the Industry Leaders List, an expanded version of the main issue that takes a deeper look at the companies shaping individual sectors.
The new list features 10 influential companies across a wide range of industries, including:
- 10 Most Influential AI Companies
- 10 most influential hardware companies
- 10 most influential software companies
- 10 Most Influential Healthcare Companies
- 10 Most Influential Retail Companies
- 10 most influential financial companies
- 10 Most Influential Entertainment Companies
- Top 10 most influential travel and tourism companies
- 10 most influential energy companies
- 10 Most Influential Social Good Companies
How to view the complete list
Readers can explore the complete list of 2026’s Most Influential Companies, including all 205 winners in each category, on Time’s official website.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @athompsonABJ.
