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The men and women throughout history who inspired the world’s most powerful tech leaders
REUTERS/Jason Redmond
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Even the greatest tech leaders were inspired by someone, whether it’s Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates.
The team over at New Peaks decided to track down who a bunch of successful entrepreneurs learned their drive and determination from.
Check out where today’s leaders draw their inspiration from:
Steve Jobs took inspiration from Polaroid cofounder Edwin H. Land.
Inventor Larry Page idolizes inventor Nikola Tesla.
Both rose to become CEO of enormous companies.
Besides his grandfather, Jeff Bezos admires Thomas Edison for being an inventor, and Walt Disney for being able to get “a big team of people working in a concerted direction.”
Bill Gates is passionate about healthcare in developing countries, particularly preventing the spread of HIV, polio, and malaria, so we’re not surprised that the doctor credited with smallpox eradication is a role model.
Hello again, Thomas Edison. The mind behind the Tesla and SpaceX respects the mind behind the lightbulb and the motion-picture camera.
GoldieBlox makes engineering-centric toys for girls, and you can see the culture Debbie Sterling learned from Tina Roth-Eisenberg in the company’s fun, spirited ads.
Watch some of GoldieBlox’ ads here.
Jack Dorsey took his Steve Jobs inspiration a step further this year, when he too become CEO of two companies at once (Square and Twitter in his case, Pixar and Apple in Jobs’).
Like his heroes, Tim Cook advocates for causes he believes in.
Larry Ellison had great respect for his friend Steve Jobs.
Nancy Lubin, who also founded the Crisis Text Line, draws inspiration from Nelson Mandela.
Mark Zuckerberg eventually became one of the first 17 billionaires to participate in Bill Gates’ “Giving Pledge,” vowing to join his idol in dedicating most of his wealth to philanthropy.
Lessons Warren Buffet learned from Benjamin Graham influenced his investing approach.
Learn the three fundamental lessons Buffet learned from Graham’s book, here.
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