>To me it just says something about American society that we obsess over Jobs yet forget two great men, without whom, Jobs never would have done anything interesting.*
I have to disagree with this. You have absolutely no idea or proof what Steve Jobs would have done without Ritchie or McCarthy. Your entire line of reasoning is predicated on unprovable assumption. For all we know, Steve Jobs still would have been successful without Ritchie and McCarthy and that's why he's a more interesting figure. But that scenario is just as impossible to prove as yours.
The point is that Steve Jobs, just as the rest of us, was standing on the shoulders of giants. So why then do we obsess over him and not others? Why is he any more important than Dennis Ritchie?
It's not about Ritchie is/not more important, it's about Ritchie did not get the honor and people's appreciate he deserves.
Think about it, Jobs did great work with an big company, and he almost claimed all credit of Apple's works himself. While Ritchie did all his work (clearly more important than Jobs) with more self-reliance.
A salesman needs a product to sale. For a product to exist, the foundation has to be in place. The guys who laid the foundation need to be in order for the foundation to be in place.
I have to disagree with this. You have absolutely no idea or proof what Steve Jobs would have done without Ritchie or McCarthy. Your entire line of reasoning is predicated on unprovable assumption. For all we know, Steve Jobs still would have been successful without Ritchie and McCarthy and that's why he's a more interesting figure. But that scenario is just as impossible to prove as yours.