Arabic: وائل غنيم Born: Dec. 23, 1980 Wael Ghonim is an internet activist and computer engineer who arguably played an important role in Egypt's January 25 Revolution. He was named the most influential person in the world by TIME Magazine in 2011. Ghonim is a Google executive based in Dubai who caused a stir when he went missing for twelve days during Egypt's January 25 Revolution, from January 27 to February 7. Upon his release it was revealed that he had played a prominent role in the Facebook page, ‘We are all Khaled Said,' and in calling for the demonstration on January 25. His release on February 7 revitalized the uprising for many young people, and Ghonim was considered a hero, although he stated in an interview just hours after his release that he was no hero, and that the heroes were those who had been in the streets while he was sitting in a jail cell. Some have questioned the perception of Ghonim as a hero of the revolution, but regardless his face has become known as one of the faces behind the revolution. Ghonim was born in Cairo but raised in Saudi Arabia. He received a BS in computer engineering from Cairo University in 2004 and an MBA in marketing from the American University in Cairo in 2007.
