The Metamorphosis of Silicon Valley C.E.O.s: From Big to Boring

　　When Joe Barton, a Republican congressman from Texas, greeted Jack Dorsey at a congressional hearing last week, he sounded flummoxed.

　　“I don’t know what a Twitter C.E.O. should look like,” Mr. Barton said. “But you don’t look like what a C.E.O. of Twitter should look like.”

　　The congressman had a point. Mr. Dorsey – who sported a nose ring, a popped-collar shirt and a craggy Moses beard – looked more like a hipster version of a Civil War officer than a tech icon. Yet more striking than his look was his manner before skeptical lawmakers.

　　Faced with tough questions, Mr. Dorsey did not mount an aggressive defense of his company and his technology, as an earlier generation of tech leader might have. Instead, he demurred, conceded mistakes and generally engaged in a nuanced and seemingly heartfelt colloquy on the difficulties of managing tech in a complex world. Even in response to Mr. Barton’s comment about his look, Mr. Dorsey was solicitous. “My mom agrees with you,” he said.

　　Mr. Dorsey’s testimony prompted questions about what we expect from tech leaders today –and how thoroughly what we expect has been upturned in the last few years. Since the 1980s, a common leadership archetype has loomed over the tech business: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Sometimes unconsciously and often deliberately, a generation of tech leaders attempted to ape the Apple and Microsoft founders’ charisma, their quirks, their style and above all their irrepressible, hard-charging confidence, to say nothing of arrogance.

　　Mr. Dorsey returned to a company he co-founded in order to save it – has long drawn comparisons to Mr. Jobs. Yet the congressional testimony marked a surprising rhetorical shift. Instead of the black-turtlenecked Mr. Jobs, Mr. Dorsey sounded more like Tim Cook, the understated operations manager who replaced him (and who is holding his umpteenth iPhone event on Wednesday).

　　That is, Mr. Dorsey sounded less like a quotable visionary who can see beyond the horizon and more like what he actually is and ought to be – a thoughtful, accessible, transparent and, despite the beard and nose ring, kind of boring manager of a serious company whose decisions have world-changing consequences.

　　When it comes to tech C.E.O.s, boring is the new black. Under the glare of global scrutiny, the daring, win-at-all-costs ethos that defined so much of the tech industry in the last couple of decades has been undergoing a thorough metamorphosis.

　　点击查看讲义辅导资料及网校课程

　　口译：翻译资格考试三级口译模拟题 翻译资格考试二级口译模拟题 翻译资格考试一级口译模拟题

　　笔译：翻译资格考试三级笔译模拟题 翻译资格考试二级笔译模拟题 翻译资格考试一级笔译模拟题

　　资料来源中华考试网校乔宏轩老师主讲教材精讲班课程，完整讲义下载进入个人中心>>

　　　　下载焚题库APP——翻译资格考试——题库——做题，包括章节练习、每日一练、模拟试卷、历年真题、易错题等，可随时随地刷题。【在线做题>>】【下载APP掌上刷题】

　　如果你基础薄弱，自学能力差，复习盲目抓不住要点，迫切想获取证书的考生，群内老师提供备考指导。欢迎加入翻译资格考试群：497125381 还能和考友一起学习交流!