Oh God NO! Not Simon Cowell!
Simon Cowell's latest venture? Finding the next Mark Zuckerberg. Yep, you heard that right. Music mogul and self-proclaimed a**hole, Simon Cowell, is entering the Tech arena...
Okay, I'll be straight with you - I try very diligently to stay away from reality television. However, in today's Kardashian-worshipping society, this task is easier said than done. We all have our guilty-pleasure TV show, and for me that show is The X Factor. Try as I might, I just can't keep away! And now, it looks like Simon Cowell - the man responsible for bringing us Susan Boyle - is applying a copy-and-paste of the X Factor concept with his next reality show [creatively called] "X Factor for Tech" [here's hoping this is just a working title...]I know what you're thinking - the Mayans were right, the world is coming to an end! How can anyone really be buying into this crap?! Or should we assume that this moment has already passed with the season premiere of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" ?At least Simon Cowell is smart enough to end his feud with The Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.am, inviting him on board as a judge in this endeavor. Not only does Will.I.am add mass appeal [especially with buy in from viewers and advertisers] but he also adds a certain credibility to the show since he's been working in the creative and technology spaces for quite some time. Yes, that's right, for those of you who didn't know, Will.I.am is actually somewhat of a certified techie. He has been involved in a number of different technology ventures, most notably his I.am.angel foundation, which supports youngsters in honing their digital skills and taking an interest in science, technology engineering and mathematics. He also holds the role of Director of Creative Innovation at Intel.The show will be competing against other invention-based reality shows, such as the massively popular "Dragon's Den", with the aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their projects in hopes of getting some funding and becoming the next Bill Gates (yeah, right!) Why so cynical, you ask? Well, I think the reason I am skeptical (besides my love/hate relationship with trashy reality television) is simply because the person spearheading this project is Simon Cowell. Cowell's expertise is in the recording industry and he doesn't appear to have much tech experience (No! him being on Twitter does not count!) not to mention that most of the artists he has churned out of his hit factory are just that - top 40 style pop sensations who fade out after a year or two max. Although Cowell did attempt a similar concept called "American Inventor" back in 2006, it never really caught on, and in his more successful music ventures he seems far more concerned with making a quick buck than with finding the next Stevie Wonder.So, should we dismiss this idea as a disaster waiting to happen? My trashy-TV loving side says, "this could be entertaining..." and my respectable, reality-TV hating side actually feels conflicted. On the one hand, I don't have a lot of faith that Simon won't run this into the ground, but on the other hand, because of the mainstream and all-inclusive nature of the show, it could actually be an opportunity to involve more women and teenagers in the tech industry.At the very least, The X Factor for Tech will provide us with some good-old-fashioned train-wreck TV (oh come on, I know I'm not the only one harbouring this guilty pleasure!)What do you (especially the entrepreneurs out there) think of the X Factor for Tech? Share your thoughts below, we'd love to hear from you! [Picture source]