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The Great Geeks (Not All Heroes Are Firemen)

The September 11 attacks have given us all a new appreciation for heroism. As Peggy Noonan put it in the Wall Street Journal, we appreciate the manly men, the ones who rush into burning buildings, and who built the buildings in the first place. But there are another batch of heroes, not as visible, not as dramatic. I am speaking of the many businesses who gave what they had because it was all that they had. The same sense of duty that sent the firemen running into burning buildings sent businesses scurrying into their warehouses to see what they had to contribute. The same outpouring of generousity that made so many of us line up at the Red Cross came gushing out of the corporate and technical world. You might call them the Great Geeks.

The most visible act of techno-heroism was Microsoft’s decision to go forward with its product launch as scheduled, despite the September 11 attacks. Bill Gates could have cowered, imagining himself and his business an obvious next target for terrorists determined to undermine the American economy. But Gates unveiled XP, with the Rudy Guiliani at his side, declaring, “New York is open for business.” They were too polite to say so, but of course the entire highly visible event could easily be translated as “A big Bronx Cheer for you, Osama!”

Sun, leading maker of large business computers, mobilized its Denver command post and 1,500 employees nationwide to help several hundred corporate clients who lost part or all of their operations. The morning after the attacks, Sun shipped tons of computer equipment and software in a convoy of 10 trucks that took 5 days to reach the East Coast. Sun also ripped out hundreds of computer workstations from its own offices to give to displaced firms’ emergency centers.

In the immediate confusion after the terrorist attacks, everybody and his brother e-mailed New York to check on everybody else and his brother. Communication networks were instantly overwhelmed. Microsoft and Compaq helped organize the Family Registration Web, enabling family members to locate each other. The companies donated not only equipment, but their employees’ expertise as well.
…see next issue…