Woz Says Snowden a Hero; Bill Gates Says No

Edward Snowden, the alleged National Security Agency whistleblower hiding out in Russia, seems to elicit extremes in emotion even among the tech elite

In Rolling Stone magazine, Microsoft founder Bill Gates called Snowden a lawbreaker and "not a hero." He also said there should be more debate on government power and privacy, according to TechCrunch.

The whole interview was about Gates not being controversial or espousing any interesting remarks.

But we always have Apple founder Steve Wozniak.

Wozniak, at the CeBit conference in Germany Thursday, said that Snowden was a hero. 

"I believe that Snowden believed, like I do, that the US has a right to freedom. He had the guts to and courage to sacrifice his life for a principle," he told the Times of India.

Wozniak continued to voice his support and called Snowden's actions "vindicated". 

So why are the two old lions of tech roaring about Snowden so differently?

Gates, who was known for speeding tickets and other unlawful shenanigans, seemed a bit preoccupied by Snowden's alleged law-breaking.

But it's Wozniak, who was certainly the more grounded Apple founder, seemed to admire Snowden's actions -- illegal as they could be.

Time can change all of us.

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