The Theft of the Nerds

Sometimes it feels like there really is "nothing new under the sun." Occasionally, we may come up with a good idea, but it can't be that creative, right? Surely someone else has thought of it before. Or maybe we do see it as a good idea, but we can't think of any real use for it. What happens, then, when someone comes along and sees our idea and recognizes the true potential it has? Are they justified in taking that idea from us and making it their own? Is it morally right for them to profit on the application of the idea without conceiving the idea themselves? This moral dilemma was exploited extensively by the big names in the personal computer world, such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. It's how they rose to the top. Most of their great ideas weren't even theirs; they were just the ones who saw how to apply the ideas. The world has benefited greatly from this exploitation; however, I feel that it is still a very wrong thing to do. Ideas should be improved on, but never stolen.