Volodymyr Zelenskyy Becomes Heavy Favorite in 2023 Time Person of the Year Odds

• Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now a heavy favorite to be the 2023 Time Person of the Year
• If it comes to fruition, Zelenskyy would be the first back-to-back winner since US President Richard Nixon
• Read below for updated 2023 Time Person of the Year odds, plus analysis

There is a new betting favorite in the 2023 Time Person of the Year odds. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has overtaken Telsa founder Elon Musk as the heavy favorite to receive the coveted honor.

Elon Musk originally opened as the betting favorite to receive the award, but he’s fallen in the odds as his Twitter takeover continues to cause controversy. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, has seen major improvement in his odds as he continues to lead Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The table below displays the updated 2023 Time Person of the Year odds. Down below, find analysis on the contenders.

Updated 2023 Time Person of the Year Odds

Zelenskyy is now a heavy -600 favorite in the 2023 Time Person of the Year odds, meaning he has 86% implied probability to win.

Odds as of June 16. Check out the top US betting sites. 

Zelenskyy Overtakes Musk As Betting Favorite

The opening odds for 2023 Time Person of the Year saw Billionaire Elon Musk listed as the +225 favorite, while Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was the second-choice at +450. The positions have now been flipped, with Zelenskyy surging to first in the odds at -600 odds, and Musk slipping to second at +350.

The drop for Musk in the odds isn’t very substantial, but the improvement in Zelenskyy’s odds has been massive. The updated 2023 Time Person of the Year odds now suggest there is only a 14.3% chance that the Ukraine president doesn’t win the honor.

It is only through the common strength of all our people that we can stop the enemy. And we will definitely stop Russia. We will drive it out of our land and with the freedom of 🇺🇦 Ukraine we will honor the memory of all those who gave their lives for Ukraine, the memory of all… pic.twitter.com/9zOE6Uy68v

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 15, 2023

It isn’t hard to see why oddsmakers are buying in on Zelenskyy repeating as the winner. The 45-year-old Ukraine politician continues to inspire his country as they fight its war with Russia. Zelensky has stated that he believes his country could win its war against Russia within the coming year.

Musk, on the other hand, hasn’t exactly had a banner year so far. The Tesla founder saw his company’s stock lose around 70% of its value following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter back in October of 2022. The changes Musk has made to the platform have produced mixed reactions, including his naming of new CEO Linda Yaccarino.

Musk continues to promise his Everything App “X”, which could be a game-changer in the digital space. The problem when it pertains to the betting market is even if the app comes out in 2023, there likely won’t be enough time for it to make a major impact before the Time Person is announced in December.

Other 2023 Time Person of the Year Contenders 

In terms of other notable people in the running for Time Person of the Year 2023, current US President Joe Biden rounds out the top-three favorites at +800. Biden’s odds have actually slipped from +500 in December, which indicates his chance of winning is getting worse.

With 11.1% implied probability to win 2023 Time Person of the Year, Biden simply isn’t a recommended bet. The 80-year-old Pennsylvania native already won the honor along with VP Kamela Harris in 2020, making 2024 (his potential re-election year) the more likely chance for him to repeat.

For example, previous Time Person of the Year recipients George Bush and Barack Obama each earned the honor for the second time in their careers in the years they were re-elected. Considering there is no US election in 2023 and Biden has had a pretty unremarkable year to date, we’d advocate holding off betting on him.

Also in the top-five is the Iran protesters, who have remained at the same +1000 price they opened at back in January. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg also has relevant odds at +1500, which is an improvement from her opening odds of +2030. The young and inspiring Thunberg, who earned the Time honor in 2019, certainly can’t be counted this year.

Don’t Rule out AI Impact

Something that doesn’t appear to have a big impact on the Time Person of the Year odds currently, but could in the near future, is artificial intelligence. AI continues to revolutionize various industries and see rapid growth, so we could envision a scenario in which Time magazine finds a way to recognize its impact.

It’s important to remember that the Time Person of the Year is someone who “for better or for worse… has done the most to influence the events of the year”. It’s not necessarily somebody or something that has a 100% positive impact, but rather something/someone that is the most influential. Considering artificial intelligence is nearly a $100 billion market, its impact can’t be ignored.

great conversation with @narendramodi discussing india's incredible tech ecosystem and how the country can benefit from ai.

really enjoyed all my meetings with people in the @PMOIndia. pic.twitter.com/EzxVD0UMDM

— Sam Altman (@sama) June 9, 2023

Who could be the 2023 Time Person of the Year if AI continues to have a major impact on the world? We like taking a flier on Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI — the company that makes the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, including with its recent iOS App which surpassed 5 million downloads in record time. Altman has been very vocal about the dangers of AI and is advocating for Congress to implement AI regulation. If Altman starts popping up in the Time Person of the Year odds, we suggest throwing down some money on him.