Answer:
There are several individuals who could be considered modern-day "captains of industry" or "robber barons," depending on one's perspective. Some examples of these individuals include Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, and Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Both Bezos and Musk have built highly successful companies that have transformed various industries and generated vast wealth for themselves and their shareholders.
One similarity between these modern-day figures and the captains of industry of the industrial era is that they have all achieved tremendous financial success through their business ventures. Both Bezos and Musk have become billionaires through their companies, and their wealth continues to grow as their businesses expand. This is similar to how figures like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Stanford became incredibly wealthy through their industrial businesses in the late 1800s.
However, there are also some key differences between these modern-day captains of industry and their predecessors. One difference is that today's captains of industry often come from a background of entrepreneurship and technology, whereas the industrial era captains of industry came from more traditional industries such as oil, steel, and railroads. This reflects the shift in the global economy from an industrial-based model to a more technology-based model.
Another difference is that modern-day captains of industry often have a more global focus and reach, with their businesses operating in many different countries and regions. In contrast, the industrial era captains of industry were primarily focused on the domestic market and on expanding their businesses within the United States. This reflects the increasing interconnectedness of the global economy and the growing importance of international trade and investment.
Overall, while there are certainly similarities between the captains of industry of the industrial era and modern-day figures like Bezos and Musk, there are also some significant differences in terms of the industries they operate in, the scale of their businesses, and their focus on the global economy.