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Business

Understanding the titan of high-tech

A hundred years ago, their innovations reshaped America, converting it from a small rural nation to a transcontinental industrial giant. Each one of them became rich and powerful, destroying their competitors and anyone else who got in the way of their vision.
Written by ZDNET Editors, Contributor

A hundred years ago, their innovations reshaped America, converting it from a small rural nation to a transcontinental industrial giant. Each one of them became rich and powerful, destroying their competitors and anyone else who got in the way of their vision. Antitrust laws were written to stop them. And at the end of their lives, these men known as the "Robber Barons" performed unequal philanthropy. They were loved and reviled in their time and in the century since. And there has been no one else like them -- until Bill Gates came along. Full story. --MSNBC

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