Mad respect Chuck but I feel like you're being a little reductionist. Couldn't I weave a story that these guys would have been hackers in the 70s, exploiting telephone networks for fun and profit?
Rather than do that, I'll just say some things are just what they are, and don't need to be explained by being 'like' something else. Especially when it comes to Madmen, its just too easy to make anything mythological by conflating it with that show.
I've got huge respect for them, and if I came off dismissive then that was certainly not my intent. I do find it mythological when folks are just natural born connectors like these two.
These guys took Lil Twist from 4K to 2M facebook fans. That is impressive. With the phreakers in the 70's and the folks at the MIT AI lab, it was not about brand so much as it was about the nascent power of technological change. I see that as a different groove.
Rather than do that, I'll just say some things are just what they are, and don't need to be explained by being 'like' something else. Especially when it comes to Madmen, its just too easy to make anything mythological by conflating it with that show.