*By Chloe Aiello* As 2018 comes to an end, Cheddar is picking the year's top winners and biggest triumphs for Cheddar's Hall of Fame. **5. Twitter** It's been a turbulent year for technology, but Twitter ($TWTR) has weathered the storm. Although at times loathed for its capacity for abuse ー by tiny trolls and the world's most powerful, alike ーthe social media giant managed to win investors over in 2018. Over the summer, Twitter disclosed it had become better at identifying and eliminating scam accounts. It purged about 70 million accounts [just in the months of May and June](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-purging-millions-fake-accounts-investors-are-spooked-n889941). Investors feared the aggressive tactics could damage Twitter's ever-important active user metrics, and shares took a hit as a result. But Twitter did not back down. Several months later, the social media company is on track to close out the year up about 20 percent up year-to-date. The stock values of social media peers Facebook and Snapchat, by contrast, are down about 24 percent and 61 percent year-to-date. **4. Scooters** For better or worse, 2018 was the year of micro-mobility ー and e-scooters took center stage. These dockless wonders took cities from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, to Washington D.C., by storm, and helped radically redefine conceptions about the future of mobility at the same time. But e-scooters earned a spot on both Cheddar's Hall of Fame and [Hall of Shame](https://cheddar.com/videos/cheddar-awards-2018s-hall-of-shame) for a reason. Scooter start-ups infamously botched roll-outs in most cities in the country by failing to work with local leaders to address road safety and courtesy issues. In return, locals lashed out with social media hashtags and Instagram accounts dedicated to the destruction or vandalism of scooters. Despite their mixed reviews, scooters address key problems for modern mobility: they don't produce emissions, they cut down on traffic in crowded cities, and they also solve the last-mile problem. It's these qualities that have attracted massive interest from more well-established players in mobility. Uber, Lyft and even Ford ($F) have [made plays in the space](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-ford-is-taking-a-chance-on-e-scooter-start-up-spin) or [expressed interest](https://cheddar.com/videos/uber-eyes-scooter-start-ups-bird-and-lime-to-expand-its-urban-mobility-options) in moving into the market. In January, Bird became the first e-scooter unicorn. **3. Cannabis** When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions moved to undermine Obama-era marijuana industry protections in January, there was little indication the year ahead would prove to be [12 months of wins](https://cheddar.com/videos/cheddars-crystal-ball-the-2019-outlook-for-cannabis-and-hemp) for the legal cannabis industry. California popped the cork on 2018 by becoming the largest U.S. market to legalize recreational marijuana, followed by our neighbor to the north, Canada, which ended nine decades of prohibition in October by legalizing adult use. The path to legalization hasn't always been smooth: both California and Canada have had bumpy roll-outs, marked by supply issues, licensing bottlenecks, and black markets that continue to thrive, but marijuana has still continued to carve out state-by-state victories. Marijuana swept the midterms in November, and 33 states and D.C. have legalized in some form to-date. Also, 2018 saw major players in big beverage and tobacco drop serious cash to invest in companies like Canopy Growth and Cronos Group. To cap off a historic year, President Trump earlier this month signed a version of the Farm Bill that legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp ー a step toward the legitimization of CBD. **2. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella** 2018 may have been dominated by brash personalities and unfiltered tweets, but Microsoft ($MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella managed to fly under the radar. As big name technology executives fell prey to scandal and controversy (we're looking at you Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk), Nadella quietly steered Microsoft through treacherous waters to best Apple and Amazon in a bid become the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world. Nadella's leadership style was perhaps never more apparent than when he guided Microsoft through a bidding war with Google ($GOOGL) to acquire Github for $7.5 billion. He [asked a Microsoft employee of Github](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2018/12/10/exclusive-ceo-interview-satya-nadella-reveals-how-microsoft-got-its-groove-back/#585ec4577acb): “Have we earned their trust?” His leadership was reportedly a factor in Github's decision to choose Microsoft. Nadella may not be a household name for most Americans, but after a year like 2018, that's something of an accomplishment. **1. Fortnite and Esports** Fortnite became a full-blown phenomenon over the past year, and as they say, a rising tide lifts all boats ー or in this case, games. As actual celebrities like Drake and Steve Aoki embraced esports, gamers like Ninja earned celebrity status. The game even prompted a new type of lawsuit. Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton in the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," was joined by musicians and social media personalities in suing Fortnite's Epic and Take-Two Interactive, the maker of "NBA 2K," for allegedly stealing their dance moves. As of late November, Fortnite had more than 200 million global players. Esports events routinely sold out packed arenas like Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and here at Cheddar, we launched a dedicated esports show, "Cheddar Sports." Long live 2018, the year of esports. *Additional reporting by Carlo Versano*
