About a year ago I was in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights, gazing down at the Golden Gate Bridge from one of Larry Ellison’s many spectacular homes. The Oracle chief executive wasn’t there – he had lent the house out for a reception. In any case, he would be the last person to apologise for enjoying the fruits of his success. But the view from technology executives’ balconies is getting stormier. After banks and bankers, could they be next to feel the sting of a populist backlash?
大约一年前我在美国旧金山太平洋高地(Pacific Heights)时,曾在甲骨文公司(Oracle)首席执行官拉里•埃里森(Larry Ellison)的众多豪宅之一眺望金门大桥(Golden Gate Bridge)。当时埃里森不在那里——他把这座豪宅借给别人去举办一个招待会。不管怎样,埃里森都绝无理由为享受自己的成功果实而道歉。但如今,如果你从科技业高管的阳台向外望去,看到的却是一场越来越猛烈的暴风雨。继银行和银行家之后,科技业高管是否会成为民粹主义浪潮的下一批冲击对象?