Why TIME has Named YouTube's Neal Mohan as CEO of the Year

What defines the year’s top CEO? TIME says the distinction comes down to delivering significant company growth, making bold strategic bets, and leading with an approachable style.

Neal Mohan, the chief executive of video-sharing behemoth YouTube, fits each of those criteria, the magazine reports.

With media platforms evolving at breakneck speed, Neal has kept ahead of the curve, tailoring the streaming service for creators, viewers and investors alike.

“The entire dynamics of the entire media industry are changing before our eyes,” TIME reports him as saying. “It’s incredibly disruptive, and if you don’t adapt, you can be left by the wayside.”

Progress at YouTube

Since taking the helm in February 2023, succeeding Susan Wojcicki – who brought him into the fold when she became leader in 2014 – the platform has increased its dominance over competitors.

That includes evolving YouTube from a small‑screen app to the living room TV, becoming a cable‑replacement for many households while remaining free to use.

The introduction of YouTube Shorts has also made the platform more competitive against the likes of Instagram and TikTok.

Under his leadership, revenue from advertisements and subscriptions has skyrocketed. In 2024, the platform generated more than US$36bn in advertising revenue and an additional US$14bn from subscriptions, according to its executives.

In 2025, it has taken in 15% more advertising dollars in the first three quarters, and in March announced it had 25% more subscribers to YouTube Music and Premium than in the same period the previous year.

Neal added: “YouTube today is like a metropolis with lots of interconnected dependencies, and what you do on one street impacts what happens on another street.”

Keeping creators at the heart of YouTube

Two decades ago, YouTube was a patchwork of tight‑knit creator communities. From documenting daily life to tackling challenges, it was a creative playground that grew into something far larger – and, for many, a livelihood.

The CEO has made clear he understands that creators have carried much of the load behind YouTube’s rise, often working without pay in the hope that enough viewers would attract advertisers and sponsors.

“Creator success on the platform brings in all of these viewers and fans from all over the world, which in turn brings in brands and advertisers and marketing opportunities and that in turn attracts the next batch of creators,” says Neal. “That’s my encapsulation of my vision for YouTube.”

TIME says YouTube is both benefiting from and helping drive a massive marketing shift to the so‑called “creator economy,” noting a recent trade‑group report that predicts advertisers will spend US$37bn with creators this year – an increase of a quarter from 2024.

Neal’s broad understanding of the platform’s stakeholders doesn’t stop there. Across the board, the magazine says he excels at staying calm and composed, cultivating an “uncle‑level” leadership style.

The life of the CEO

TIME portrays him as soft‑spoken, deliberate and hard to ruffle. Beyond leading YouTube, he enjoys watching sports and attending his daughters’ dance recitals.

According to his LinkedIn, Neal began his career as a Senior Analyst at Accenture in 1996 at the age of 24.

A year later, he joined DoubleClick – then a digital advertising technology company – as Director of Global Client Services, later rising to Vice President of Business Operations.

As Google acquired DoubleClick in 2007 for US$3.1bn to bolster its display ad business, Neal moved into the role of Senior Vice President of Display and Video Ads at Google.

There, he worked extensively with Susan, forging a relationship that shaped the next phases of his career.

“I’m a technologist by passion and training,” Neal tells TIME.

“I also happen to be somebody who loves media in the broadcast sense of that term. And so building products, whether in the advertising world or at YouTube, is sort of my passion.”