They do believe that they are gods. Their sense of self makes Rockefeller, Vanderbilt Carnegie, and Morgan look like the guy who ran the local smith. And in truth they have burrowed their way into the everyday lives and thoughts of more Americans than those Captains of Industry, and including Hearst and Pulitzer and McCormick could have in their dreams bever imagined.
I posted before reading yours about those men of the past. I was comparing Bezos to just standing on their backs and only improving their ideas.
Your point was interesting. At the same time, today it might be their improvements have just given access to a larger market. In the old days companies like Sears, Coca-Cola, Bell Telephone, etc. were also deep in the minds and hearts of the public. Marketing is eternal. lol