Here's A Simple Reality Check For Any Tech Founder Who Thinks They're 'Changing The World'

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors often say they're building world-changing companies. And companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Uber are actually doing that.

But, would any of those companies stand a chance, if say, a massive solar flare struck the earth and hundreds of millions of people suddenly found themselves without electricity?

(That could happen, by the way. The White House released a report in 2013 which discussed the ramifications of a large flare from the sun: A worst-case solar storm could result in months without electricity for 130 million Americans - or millions of people wherever it strikes in the world.)

There's an image going around Twitter that's meant to be funny, but there's some truth to it. Tech companies that are "changing the world" are nothing without serious inventions like Internet and electricity.