Becoming one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies is a big milestone for DeepL – here’s why
2021 was the year for Apple, Zoom, Netflix and NVIDIA. A year later, it was OpenAI, Amazon and AirBnB. In 2023, it was Duolingo, Kia and Crocs, and last year, Anthropic, Mistral and Pinterest.
For DeepL, the year that matters is 2025.
The first occasion when a business makes the TIME100 list of the Most Influential Companies is a hugely significant milestone. It’s a list that highlights companies making an extraordinary impact around the world, and the rigor of how the list is selected gives it a great track record for identifying those companies that will continue to shape the future. That’s why making the list is such a prestigious achievement – and one that we’re extremely proud of.
Balancing impact, innovation, ambition and success
As the TIME editors put it in their introduction to the 2025 edition of the TIME100 list, “No single data point or financial metric makes a TIME100 Company. Instead, we looked at a mosaic of qualities, studying impact, innovation, ambition, and success.” It’s a thorough process that involves polling TIME’s network of correspondents and contributors, and then carefully debating the qualifications of each potential inclusion.
To be included in the Innovators category of the TIME100 is a particular honor for DeepL. It recognizes not only the growth and success of our business, but the life-changing impact of what we do in breaking language barriers through innovative, proprietary Language AI.
The foundations of DeepL’s influence
DeepL’s feature in the 100 Most Influential Companies list picks up on all of these elements. It highlights the fact that our more than 200,000 customers include governments and half the Fortune 500, which is influential company, indeed. It picks out innovative solutions in the form of DeepL Voice bridging language barriers in meetings through real-time voice-to-text translations. It also takes note of the culture that makes all this possible. “Most employees working at DeepL headquarters in Cologne—a few hours from Belgium, France, and the Netherlands—are multilingual,” writes journalist Harry Booth. He quotes DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski, in explaining how this is, “giving the company an edge in ‘knowing better what the customer needs.’”
Among those joining DeepL in the Innovators category this year are fellow AI pioneers like Alibaba Group, gaming powerhouse Nintendo, challenger trainer brand On, and iconic cooking brand Le Creuset. It’s a lineup that reflects the diverse nature of both innovation and influence. What these companies have in common is a culture focused on challenging the status quo, and a determination to push the boundaries of what the technology can do in their industry. As a result of such innovation, their businesses are touching and shaping lives globally. That’s company we are very proud to be keeping indeed.
See the full TIME100 Most Influential Companies list of 2025 here: https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2025/