Author: Rachel Kraus / Source: Mashable
wikimedia commonsIt’s time to celebrate America. What better way to cheers to the old white men who created America than to honor the middle-aged white men who still control it?
Of course, in America today, some of our politicians don’t command much reverence or respect.
Instead, we’ll look to our titans of industry as the larger-than-life figures charting the course of the American behemoth.In few other industries does the cult of personality function so strong as in the technology world. Here we find the digital world’s founding fathers — and rest assured, it’s a list that comes complete with entitled attitude and problematic relationships with minorities and all.
Who’s who in our fledgling tech-nation state? Read on for who each Tech CEO would be if he — and yes, most are he — were one of the Founding Fathers.
Steve Jobs is Benjamin Franklin
Apple
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They’re both eccentric, undeniable geniuses, so we’ve gotta give the O.G. Benjamin Franklin spot to Steve Jobs. Franklin helped articulate and manifest his vision for America by unifying the colonies. He was a newspaper man and inventor as well as a statesman who saw America through from the spark of an idea to a real-life new country. On another note, Franklin was also a bit infamous for his many affairs, and his propensity for taking “air baths” (walking around naked).
Now, Jobs might not be legendary in exactly the same way, but he’s a larger-than-life figure whose vision for Apple and the iPhone is still guiding the tech industry as a whole. He’s also known for his sizable ego, and his need to have his hands in many pots at Apple. But the world would not be the same without either men. Uncle Ben and Daddy Steve: the
s of America and tech alike. Bill Gates is George Washington
Microsoft
If Franklin and Jobs are our dads, Bill Gates and George Washington are our cuddly grandpas — with a bit of a ruthless streak. Our first president is known for his humility and leadership, as well as his 6’2″ frame and towering presence. Today, Bill Gates is like the elder statesman of tech. He wants the best for the world and has remained plainspoken and dad-jeans-clad. There’s another side to the story, though: Washington was known for his temper, and Bill Gates did not get to be the magnate that he is by simply tinkering in his garage.
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Sergey Brin, Larry Page are John and Abigail Adams
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John and Abigail Adams were basically the dream team that turned America from a concept into a reality, with a moral compass. John helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was one of its prime advocates at the Continental Congress. Through letter-writing and advice, Abigail encouraged John’s sense of morality and advocated for equal rights and the abolition of slavery. More recently, the duo behind Don’t Be Evil basically took the fledgling internet and made it into the accessible open book that it is today. Like the Adams’ prolific accomplishments, the Google brand eclipses the actual personal cults of the two founders. In both cases, a duo changed the world, but didn’t make it all about them.
Mark Zuckerberg is Alexander Hamilton
And then there’s Zuck and Hamilton. Thanks to the eponymous musical, Hamilton (the man) has had quite the reputational renaissance in recent years. Now branded “young, scrappy, and hungry,” he’s getting his due credit for his many accomplishments, including the creation of our financial system as we know it, and for consolidating the power of the federal government. He also made many enemies, which resulted in his own death-by-duel at the hands of Aaron Burr. Zuckerberg also combined idealism with practicality to create the Facebook universe. And, he was a young upstart, bursting onto the Silicon Valley scene and changing it forever. Oh, and Zuckerberg’s ambition in growing Facebook into a data-sucking giant has resulted in the destruction of his reputation. Both men are legends, for…
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