One day while sitting around with cups of hot chai and biscuits, we got into a discussion about the importance of family and most importantly, of fathers in the development and shaping of a child’s life. Fathers, the real hustlers! Needless to say, this gave us an idea! Father’s Day is just around the corner and as a tech-based firm we always look up to certain people who have paved the way forward for others! We always look at their contributions to technology and in a way they are fathers for all techies! Rarely, however, do we look into the principles and values they raise their own children with. On the eve of Father’s Day, we bring you insights into the lives of tech giant daddies from a perspective that you may never have thought about!
Tech Giants as Daddies at their best:
Jeff Bezos:
A household name, Jeff is the CEO of Amazon and is also the richest man in the world but that’s not something we’ll look into today. A father to 4 lovely children, 3 sons, and 1 daughter, he has always tried to bring his kids up in a modest manner! An avid lover of unorthodox ways of solving problems, Jeff has also used the same approach to bringing up his kids. Having been encouraged to try different things in life, his children have tried it all; mandarin lessons, the Singapore math program, and lots of clubs and sports with the other neighborhood kids. Jeff believes that when you have a gift and then you work hard, you’re going to leverage that gift. He regularly urges his children to pursue their passions because that will make it easier to succeed. According to Bezos, “You’ve gotta figure out what you love and it’s going to bring you great joy.”
Elon Musk:
An engineer, industrial designer, technology entrepreneur, and philanthropist, he is known worldwide for Tesla, PayPal, and SpaceX and more recently for naming his youngest child! A giant in his field, he is both brilliant and eccentric! A father to 5 children, Elon recently celebrated the birth of his youngest son, X Æ A-12 Musk! Having split custody of his kids, he spends almost all his non-work waking hours with his boys and considers them the love of his life. While work keeps him occupied, he tries his best to play a crucial role in his kid’s lives by having them visit his factories in California, taking them along whenever he goes out of town, and let’s not forget their annual camping trip! All 5 of Elon’s kids study at Ad Astra, a school founded by Elon which teaches unconventional education principles with the goal of catering to students’ aptitudes not by arbitrary schedules but in real-time and using problem-solving methods to teach critical thinking.
Steve Jobs:
Let’s be honest, at some point in our lives we’ve all heard of Steve Jobs! An American business magnate, industrial designer, investor, media proprietor, and most importantly, was the chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Apple Inc, Steve has made major contributions to our way of life! Steve’s professional life may have been swell however his personal life had its ups and downs. A father to 4 children, Steve shared a somewhat distant relationship with his daughters while he shared a strong bond with his son! A mercurial individual, he often swayed between love and abandonment with his children however he tried his best to make it up to them in his own ways. While he did not spend as much time as he wanted with his children, he understood their spirit, their dreams, and their needs however he had a vision, and his vision pushed him more towards work and away from his family no matter how hard he tried!
Bill Gates:
A name that will surely go down in history, Bill Gates completely changed the way we use technology. An innovative businessman, because he revolutionized the way we use computers for business and personal use. He brought in products that we today take for granted such as word, excel PowerPoint, etc. He also chairs the largest independent charitable foundation in the world which grants donations to various projects throughout the world. Bill has 3 children and however they have all the resources possible to flaunt a lavish lifestyle, they are insanely private kids! An important reason for this; their dad doesn’t want them to become ungrateful brats! While they were relatively strong, Bill instilled humbleness in his kids by showing them the importance and impact of charity. Now that they are growing up, he wants them to work hard and understand the importance of money. He has set up a trust fund for each child with 10 million USD and while that may seem like a huge amount, for a child used to luxuries, it can run out way too soon! While on a TED Talk, Bill explained that he wants to strike a balance where his kids have the freedom to do anything but not a lot of money showered on them so they could go out and do nothing,”
Mark Zuckerberg:
Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp are 3 apps no one can do without and they’re all synonymous with one name; Mark Zuckerberg! A prodigy at a young age, Zuckerberg has seen a few years in the industry and grown to be the tycoon that he is today! However, with the birth of his daughter, Mark set into motion a change that rocked the industry! He chose to send out a message through his actions that resonated with so many others. After the birth of his daughter, he decided to take paternity leave to spend more time with her! He wants to change the paternity rules and regulations for his companies that allowed employees a longer paternity leave! His message was to all the wary of embracing fatherhood openly and intimidated by the challenge of juggling business and family effectively! Through multiple social media posts of him sleeping with his daughter, feeding her, changing her diapers, he’s bringing about a change in the mindset of American capitalists who feel family leave might doom the country!
Zack Ma:
True rags to riches story, Jack Ma started in communist China when it was completely cut off from the west and faced multiple hardships but through his perseverance ended up founding Alibaba, a giant in the Chinese markets! Having failed his college exams twice and been rejected from Harward 10 times, the lesson he gave to his son about education is of utmost importance. He said, “you don’t need to be in the top three in your class, being in the middle is fine, so long as your grades aren’t too bad. Only this kind of person, a middle-of-the-road student, has enough free time to learn other skills.” With no previous knowledge of coding, he devoted his time to learn on the internet and that’s not today he can practice what he preaches! Jack’s message to his son is something all parents should take a note out of, honing new skills and following your passions in your free time is synonymous with a good education!
Azim Premji:
An Indian business tycoon, investor, engineer, philanthropist, and chairman of Wipro-Limited, Azim Premji is informally known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry. With multiple foundations under his name for education and giving back to society, he has brought up his 2 sons with humbleness and respect for money. With his wealth and status, he could have easily provided the best of the best to his children, however, he wanted them to learn the hard way, so much so that when his eldest son went to Harvard, he had to take permission from his father to stay at the Wipro guest house which was denied. His values and modest nature has tricked down into his children who live private and humble lives!
Larry Ellison:
Larry Ellison, currently the fifth richest man in the world, also has a rags to riches story. A rebellious child, he had to go through many life challenges and tough experiences before he became the name he is today! With multiple personal scandals, lack of ambition and an easy to go attitude about life, Larry had to pull his socks up once he started working with computers and learning about programming and through his hard work, Oracle was born! On his front, Larry has 2 kids who are now Hollywood’s power siblings and fund major projects in the movie business! Larry has brought up his kids to have a balance of really great taste, real respect for genuinely gifted people, real appreciation, and also having a really clear practical streak. Of course, they do occasionally throw their weight around but we can’t blame them now, can we?
Pierre Omidyar:
Does eBay strike a cord? French-born Iranian-American businessman and philanthropist, Pierre Omidyar is credited with the creation of eBay and is among the top 100 richest men in America. On a personal front, he has 3 children and through his charitable causes, he has helped them to see the importance of money and working hard. He has always pushed his children to satisfy their innate curiosity and has never refused to answer their “why” to everything! He is among the few billionaires who have decided to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. In his words, " Our view is fairly simple. We have more money than our family will ever need. There’s no need to hold onto it when it can be put to use today, to help solve some of the world’s most intractable problems."
What a beautiful way to make sure children grow up in their footsteps and remain humble, hard-working, and understand the importance of hard work and money! At Marmeto we have always looked up to the modern tech fathers and knowing more about their personal life just makes us want to follow in their footsteps!
From Marmeto to all the daddies out there, we wish you a very happy Father’s Day!
It’s your day! Enjoy it!
