Bill Gates spinning a floppy disk on his finger; a disembodied Jeff Bezos in a box with packing peanuts; Netscape’s Marc Andreessen on a throne, barefoot – these are just some of the absolutely terrible magazine covers devoted to tech luminaries in the past.
The latest to be lampooned is Palmer Luckey of Oculus, who looks like he is about to fly on an upcoming issue of Time magazine.
“Sadly, this is far from the first time a major news magazine has treated tech leaders as follies rather than respectable figures,” notes Mashable’s Christina Warren. “We tracked down ten of the best (worst?) examples of national magazines that portrayed tech luminaries in a less than flattering light.
“And not to pick on Time magazine — because sure, other magazines do it too — but looking through its archives, the nation’s best-selling news weekly consistently likes to treat tech figures as nerds or silly figures, rather than something to take seriously,” she continues.
We have to agree.
There are so many incredible covers out there; 2014 saw some gorgeous cover designs, and a well-done cover has incredible pull in the newsstand and online. So it can’t be a lack of talent in the field.
Maybe it’s lack of respect? After all, these are youngsters, upstarts, and definitely not your father’s CEO.
Or maybe – just maybe – they know magazine covers have solid viral potential and they are counting on people like us to spread the word. Genius?