!VAR HAGENDOORN

Obama, Jobs and Zuckerberg Discuss the Future of the US Economy

Earlier this week Barack Obama had dinner with some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, including Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Eric Schmidt and Larry Ellison, to discuss innovation and economic growth.

The White House released a photo of the event, which reminded me of the title of a painting by Jed Martin, the main character in Michel Houellebecq's latest novel, The Map and the Territory: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Discussing the Future of Information Technology (The Palo Alto Conversation). When I first read it I couldn't suppress a chuckle. As a matter of fact there is a famous photo of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates which may have served as inspiration for Houellebecq.

The Map and the Territory is a great novel by the way, I'll post a brief review if I can find the time.