The biggest tech companies are incredibly lucrative. They are also run – on the whole – by a new generation of public-facing, charismatic CEOs. These people, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Jan Koum, are young, ambitious, opinionated, and rich – rich beyond belief! And, as their businesses continue to grow, they are proving that they have their sights set on much more than tech and social media.

Elon Musk was a pioneer. He turned the money he received from Zip2 and X.com into some of the most bold and inspirational private enterprises the world has ever seen – luxury electric cars and private space exploration. He pursued these projects, not because they were good business ideas (he is the first to admit that they were quite the opposite), but because he felt he had a duty to.

In many ways, Musk is the archetypical modern-day entrepreneur: he is happy to take massive risks so long as he sees whatever it is he is pursuing as a salient aspect of humanity’s future. With his mission to move the global energy industry toward a more sustainable model, and to create a colony on Mars, Musk is putting his money where his mouth is, and letting his deeply held convictions guide his business decisions.

In a world where, not long ago, big tobacco companies sponsored physicians to create “evidence” proving smoking was harmless or even healthy, and, today, some major oil companies deny or supress serious climate change concerns, it’s very refreshing to see a company dedicated to furthering humanity as a whole – as opposed to just increasing its profits.

And others are following Musk’s lead. Mark Zuckerberg launched Internet.org in 2013 with the primary aim of providing internet access to the 5 billion people who are not currently connected. Jack Dorsey has expressed an interest in running for mayor in New York. 

As the world becomes more connected, this new breed of tech entrepreneurs are able to display their personalities in real-time and as much detail as they wish. This means that they own two brands, their companies and themselves, with how the latter is perceived having a massive impact of their future successes and failures. After all, how far would SpaceX have got with someone less inspiring than Musk at the helm?

Today’s tech entrepreneurs have the power to change the course of humanity. They certainly have the money to do so. And many seem to have the desire to do so, too. It is exciting to watch what these people will do next. But what do you think? Do today’s tech entrepreneurs hold the keys to the future? And do you think this is a good or a bad thing?

Email me your thoughts.