I’m just stealing a minute to drop a line from work. I’ve been very busy with big work projects and visiting with folks. I’m down to that horrible slider-puzzle part of the trip when I’ve only got a few spaces left in which to see people before I leave (even though that’s a week away).
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I had dinner the other night with the owners of the company I write for, along with some of the team members, and a client of ours who used to be in patent law before the dot-com bubble burst and took away all of his business. Now he’s back helping companies like ours become positive monopolies. We had a fascinating talk that night. It was neat to hear him tell stories of working with Apple, Sun Microsystems, FaceBook, and just about every major technological player in hardware and software.
Fact du jour: Apparently the iPod isn’t patented. Steve and the team were so concerned about leaks that they didn’t want to file documents that would give away their trade secrets. Hm; who knew?
When I came into the office yesterday I saw the caterer’s bill for the meal lying on the desk I’m borrowing: $1,700. So this is how the other half lives.
But the other side of the equation is what the people in our program do with their new-found wealth and freedom. No one’s obliged to be charitable, but man is it moving to hear the stories of those who are. These people are used to being successful, and know how to get results, so when they turn their minds to solving problems they do amazing things — like the fella who built five schools in his area (you can build a school?), another who’s shipped millions of dollars worth of aid to Belarus, or a woman who’s created a fundamentally different way for families with special needs to receive care.
The news seems to be about things falling apart, about the evil in people’s hearts — particularly people in business. It’s difficult to think about them any other way. But twice a year I’m exposed to an invisible movement made up of very successful people who are good, loving, committed human beings. I don’t always agree with everyone’s politics, but if this is how they’re choosing to use their success, more power to them.