Image credit: Wikipedia Commons. Two pirates have a laugh. Steve Jobs & Bill Gates at a 2007 conference.
Pirates of Silicon Valley holds great insight into the roots of the age of the personal computer. In looking at the origins of the PC itself, we begin to see what a complicated and perhaps malevolent process is involved in unleashing such disruptive technologies. In examining the personalities of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates it becomes clear that both eventually became immersed in the need to have the best product, the need to win, so to speak. This idea is especially clear in the case of Jobs. From the start Jobs seems to be on a search for some sort of divine quest, a destiny if you will. In Wozniak’s Apple II he sees potential for a billion dollar industry. Jobs is able to transform himself from disgruntled hippie to smooth talking business man in his quest to change the world. Yet as his genius seeps out it seems that the quest for the best product eventually leads to a major lack of compassion. Jobs alienates his friends and even neglects his own daughter on this proverbial path to fame-induced immortality.
Perhaps not as clear, there is also a somewhat negative shift in the personality of Bill Gates. Gates, though he manages to hold on to his friends and keep his priorities somewhat in order, is also consumed by the idea being on top. He succumbs to robbery just as Jobs did. It seems that in such a cutthroat business one must toss aside morality in order to achieve greatness. In numerous cases true inventors of amazing products have not received credit for their work due to the big dreams of another. In the case of the telephone, as well as FM radio it is no longer credit where credit is due but rather credit where credit is stolen.
The business of telecommunications becomes more than a business. It seems to entrench producers as well as consumers to become some sort of religion. Though this can be said about many other business ventures, communications, especially in terms of the computer industry, seem to take over the lives of numerous individuals. As Jobs put it:
We're here to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why even be here? We're creating a completely new consciousness, like an artist or a poet. We're rewriting the history of human thought with what we're doing. That's how you have to think of this.Thus it becomes more evident why telecommunications take on aspects of a religion, they were created in hopes of reshaping the consciousness of the consumer, in making him dedicated to the bright screen that many stare at for hours on end.
The idea of an immoral business community, you present, is interesting to say the least. As you yourself point out to the FM which ended in a tragedy and this pattern is repeated through the entire book. Now this gives rise to a philosophical question: does the end justify the means. If it does, in that case I believe that Bill Gates has the upper hand. He has donated close to half his wealth to the service of man. On the other hand, Steve Jobs closed Apple’s philanthropy programs when he returned in 1997.
ReplyDeleteGates and men like him, like the Robber Barons of the Victorian Age, often turn to philanthropy after they retire. Gates has done a lot of good with him fortune, and notably, he will not leave a huge sum to his children. Gates' father, a prominent Seattle attorney, raised his children to work hard and value competition.
ReplyDeleteI like that about Gates. That which is easily gained is often little valued. Whether Bill came to his philanthropy under the influence of his wife Melinda, or whether he's laying some old demons to rest, remains a question for his biographers.
Today many of the biggest corporations in the world depend on brand loyalty. They want create loyalty amongst consumers so that they prefer a certain product. This is certainly the case for Apple as can be seen in their famous 1984 ad campaign to popularise the anti- establishment association with their products. Apple depends upon consumers buying their products exclusively over that of the many rival corporations. As Wu puts it, consumers prefer to give up freedom for the sake of simplicity and convenience. Does the actual technical aspects of the product make a difference to consumers or is the fact that it is an Apple product reason enough for them to dish out their dollars?
ReplyDeleteI think the competition factor in the computer industry's development is extremely crucial. I do not think neither Apple nor Microsoft would have come as far as they have if the other had not existed. The competition against each other accompanied by their odd complementation to each other's products (even though in many cases this complementation came from theft) have helped the industries grow fast. After seeing Pirates of Silicon Valley we might think that both Jobs and Gates were corruptive in their own way, but imagine what telecommunications would be like today if they hadn't been. They both envisioned a brighter future in telecommunications, and they both thrived for greater success. No, their techniques were not exactly very ethical; but they allowed for the day to come where we could have class discussions through an online blog.
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