who has more influence: devs or cultural leaders?

imo the relationship b/w the two is bidirectional, but devs have a stronger, more transformative impact on society

the best devs care to build something that meets consumer demand, which is not always mutually inclusive w/ "cool"

we tend to forget that last part

/ted | exploring the onchain frontier | surfing @ venice, ca | eating @ gjusta / gjelina

Do you mean devs that are also influencers or devs that are unknown to the public in general?

IRL: Creative Director who makes movies and ads.

Totally. But there are devs and there are devs. If we're talking about the ones who actively seek media attention in any type of manner—then I agree with you that they are super powerful and influential.

However, if we consider successful devs who aren't in the spotlight and are only known within a niche, I don't think they have the same power. Ultimately, it comes down to whether the person is a public figure, regardless of their field, don't you think?

measuring influence by impact to society

devs do become influencers — look at mark zuckerberg or jeff bezos 

they are influencers even if we don’t want to admit it or consider them “uncool”