Software, web and mobile apps in particular, offers one of the last truly free arenas for innovation. There is little to no regulation, small startup costs, and frankly comparatively little training required to create something potentially great. You can lament that "big minds" are being wasted, but it's hard to say whether anyone at Zynga would be curing cancer if FarmVille didn't exist
I have to agree. Just because these companies made succesful products does not mean they are geniuses. Just because you work for facebook doesnt mean you're the greatest mind of a generation. You just got lucky. People have been throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks for a long time. Some get lucky, some dont. I dont think Mark Zuckerburg "engineer'd facebooks success" mindfully. He was just in the right place and the right time with the right connections and enough money. Its all about who you know.