Are You the Next Steve Jobs? If So, Will.i.am & Simon Cowell Want You

Are You the Next Steve Jobs? If So, Will.i.am & Simon Cowell Want You


Black Eyed Peas front man and Director of Creative Innovation for Intel Will.i.am and X-Factor producer Simon Cowell have a reality-television show in the works that will have the tech (and entertainment) world buzzing–and not necessarily for all the right reasons.

According to a report in the U.K.-based The Sun, Will.i.am and Cowell are creating an X-Factor-esq show aimed at finding the next big tech entrepreneur. “We’re working on a project called X Factor for tech – and it’s going to be out of this world,” Will.i.am told The Sun. “Singing and performance create a couple of jobs. But this will create lots. It’s about getting in touch with youth and giving them a platform to express themselves – whether that’s in science or mathematics.”

Will.i.am continues to add notches onto his tech belt with this latest venture. In August, the pop star debuted the song “Reach for the Stars,” from Mars. It was the first song ever to play from the Red Planet and, when the Curiosity rover landed, Will.i.am was one of a handful of non-scientists present at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to watch it happen.

With winners of shows like X-Factor and American Idol often getting locked into rigid deals and rarely seeing long-term success, it will be interesting to see how the “X-Factor for Tech” champs will benefit from their newfound status.

Pop culture is inching to own a stake in Silicon Valley. Tech entrepreneurs, would you sign up for a chance to win in this X-Factor formatted show? What will the duo’s reality show collaboration do for tech startups? Tell us what you think in the comments section.


×