Week 4 Aha!

I enjoyed our research assignments this week; one of the most striking realizations I made was the profound youth of the million- and billionaires presented for discussion.  A common theme for most digital moguls of the 90s and 00s is their seeming habit of attending a prestigious graduate school for a year or two, giving birth to a brilliantly simple plan, starting the project on a small scale and shoestring budget, nursing it through a few growing pains, watching the whole thing become wildly successful, then looking for another interesting project in which to invest their time, money, and talent.  This is a remarkable path to success on its own merits, but it gives me pause to think how little time had elapsed between their learning to drive a car and their steering a socially and economically transformative company through the global marketplace.  It reminds me of the day I realized my medical doctor was closer to my kids' age than to mine. 

As an admitted late adopter when it comes to technology, I'm simply amazed to hear someone say something like, "Well, I was sitting around my dorm room thinking interesting thoughts, I wrote a few lines of code, then I had to borrow money from my parents to keep the servers from being overwhelmed."  How impressive!  Especially when I can barely change the ring tone on my phone.