This was Google Zeitgeist, Google's exclusive, all-expenses-paid attempt to bring together the "great minds of our time" for the benefit of the invited guests—mostly advertising executives, the bread and butter of Google's business model. I was one of perhaps five academics, but the entertainment industry and non-profits were well represented (I was very excited to meet Guy Oseary, Madonna's manager). The theme was "one of us, all of us," with a strong undercurrent of the buzzword du jour, social entrepreneurship. We heard repeatedly that the values of technology, Silicon Valley, and innovation could help solve the problems of society at large. As Schmidt said, "This model of investment, innovation, and overcoming failure is necessary. If we're going to achieve greatness in the twenty-first century, and I believe we will, we have to start with some Silicon Valley thinking." He stated that "ultimately, this world will be owned by an entrepreneur."

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 713