Do Mac Users Have Favorite Nerds And Geeks?

One of my favorite Mac books is Andy Hertzfeld’s “Revolution in the Valley,” an account of the early Mac days.

That made me wonder if Mac users today have any heroes, favorite nerds, or geeks.

Hertzfeld’s book describes many of the important characters who helped in the design and launch of the first Mac.

Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak carry their rightful places in the history of early Apple and early Mac.

It’s over 20 years later. Do we have such memorable personalities today? Are there yet Mac heroes for Mac users?

What actually got me started on this thoughtful train was a CNet article on Top Ten Nerds And Geeks.

Number 2 on the CNet list is Steve Wozniak, who remains in admiration by many Mac users old enough to know who he is and appreciate what he did for personal computing.

Microsoft’s founder, Bill Gates, shows up at #4. Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, comes in at #8.

Sorry, Steve Jobs didn’t make the cut, despite co-developing the game Brickout with Wozniak at Atari in pre-Apple days.

Looking over the landscape at Apple and Company, where are the heroes, the nerds, those to look up to as leaders and role models?

Steve Jobs remains Apple’s very capable leader. Wozniak is closer to retirement (opinion—no flames, please).

How about Apple’s industrial design chief, Jonathan Ives? He’s not rock star status, like Jobs, but appreciated by many because of his design talents.

You see? It’s a very short list for Mac users. Woz for history. Jobs for leadership. Ives for design. Anybody?

Do Mac users even have a list of favorite or most interesting tech personalities? If so, Bill Gates is probably on the list, but only for what he’s worth.

Some of us can look back a decade or so to the days of turnaround artist Gil Amelio who bought Steve Jobs’ NeXT Computer, which led to his own ouster and the Second Coming of Steve Jobs.

I remember reading books by Adam Osborne and read about his original Osborne I sewing-machine-sized computer.

Looking at Apple and Microsoft today, I would be hard pressed to create a Top 10 List of Favorite Nerds and Geeks, or even Favorite Tech Personalities.

Who would be on your list? Does Apple purposely hide their talent, keeping them from the public eye, and head hunter raids?