Josiah Wedgwood, 18th century tech bro?

The Hustle - an email newsletter aimed at young professionals - shared the story of Josiah Wedgwood this past weekend. The piece focuses on Wedgwood's entrepreneurial success, comparing it to modern-day entrepreneurs and tech companies like Google. The piece starts:

The name “Josiah Wedgwood” doesn’t pique the interest of most tech bros.

He didn’t grace stages clad in a black turtleneck. He didn’t build a steel or railroad empire. He wasn’t the richest man of all time, or the most powerful. But nearly 300 years ago, in a small village in the English hills, he revolutionized the way the world thought about business and entrepreneurship — by making pottery.

Wedgewood (sic) has been called the “first tycoon,” the “Steve Jobs” of the 18th century, and “one of the most innovative retailers the world has ever seen.” Scholars regard him as both the father of modern marketing and the creator of the first luxury brand.

In his quest to invent and sell ceramic wares, he pioneered sales techniques like money back guarantees, free delivery, and “influencer” marketing.

This is the story of a small-time potter from the middle of nowhere who turned a “rude uncultivated craft” into a thriving global industry.

– Zachary Crockett, writing for The Hustle

Read the full piece here: https://thehustle.co/josiahwedgwood

As of my sharing this here, there are just two comments on the piece itself and they both ask the author to fix the spelling of Wedgwood.

There's some more substantive discussion on Hacker News: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19070511