following vs people

following and people both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
following	Yes	Yes	No	No
people	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, people is a hypernym of following; that is, people is a word with a broader meaning than following:

Other hypernyms of following include hoi polloi, mass, masses, multitude, the great unwashed.

following (noun)	people (noun)
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture	(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
a group of followers or enthusiasts	the body of citizens of a state or country
	members of a family line
	the common people generally

following (adjective)	people (adjective)
going or proceeding or coming after in the same direction
in the desired direction
about to be mentioned or specified
immediately following in time or order

following (verb)	people (verb)
	fill with people
	furnish with people