These days, technology personalities get more clout and stardom than traditional ‘celebrities’. Tech folks are the cool folks now. Geeks are the new rock stars.
This is evidenced by popular events like TED and SXSW, where ideas and intelligence reign supreme. In fact, SXSW Interactive eclipsed the popularity of SXSW Music many years ago. Conference attendees are more excited by disruptive start-ups than they are mainstream music!