[AzJP]

Good points, I call those the "doers" who actually contribute.

I'm trying to think of a prime mover, the entreprenuer who creates (literally) the industry that those fine folks work in.

The best I can come up with, flaws and all, would be the Wright Brothers. Many fine mechanics and pilots followed, and some moochers (Glenn Curtis?) but the Wright Brothers were the initial prime movers.

Fun game to play when I'm too lazy to reread her longer works.

kj

[RightWhale]

Hate to mention this name on FR, but Bill Gates is actually one of the prime movers, even though he got a jump on DOS by buying rights to some older code. Westinghouse, Land, Lear a few others.

[Yeti]

I'm trying to think of a prime mover, the entreprenuer who creates (literally) the industry that those fine folks work in.

Edison

Tesla

Ford

Westinghouse

Siemens

Bell

.....

Hard to find someone who fits exactly, but I think any of the above would serve as examples of inventors/enterpeneurs who had a large impact on society.

Also, I can think of companies that appreciate and reward guys who do things like that. Think IBM 30 years ago, or RCA or Bell Labs back then, too.

Nowadays we have huge corporations led by followers and copycats -- just exactly like the bad guys in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.