Apple's Tim Cook and Salesforce's Marc Benioff DECLARE WAR on anti-gay Indiana

But why should we care what rich execs think?

Remind us again, is Tim Cook still gay?

Taking Cook in particular: while Apple has significant leverage in Arizona due to its data center project, it has very little in Indiana where it only operates two Apple stores. But Cook the individual – even if he does decide to write "we" in a message from his personal account – does have some power to influence things.

Cook is unusual in that he came out publicly as gay late last year – the only acting head of a Fortune 500 company ever to do so. That announcement sparked a huge amount of discussion and arguably pulled him into the social policy world. Days after the announcement, articles were still being written with headlines like: "Why it still matters that Apple's CEO is gay."

In February – more than three months after the announcement, CNBC asked: "Does having a gay CEO matter? Ask Apple investors."

Other tech CEOs have also started having a public persona in a way that has not been seen before. While Steve Jobs was always an exception, his views on things – even Apple products – were largely derived from rumor and gossip.

Now, Tesla CEO Elon Musk only has to express a momentary thought for it to become a news story. The trend has even sparked a spoof Twitter account – Bored Elon Musk – who muses about improbable or ridiculous future product possibilities.

"HD microwave oven that finds and screens a funny YouTube video the same duration as your selected cooking time," ponders one.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lacks charisma and stage presence yet every word he utters – about his company or any other issue that may occur to him – is instantly relayed with great import.

Don't mention Kardashian

Being forced to consider the views of someone who has absolutely no connection to your real life but somehow lives in your consciousness because of repeated viewing is not exactly new. We've had to deal with the largely ill-considered views of actors and musicians for some time.

But with the iPhone and Tesla becoming as sexy as the latest blockbuster or music single, and Facebook endlessly relaying the thoughts of our friends and family, we are starting to bracket tech CEOs with entertainers.

It's hard to know whether to embrace the trend. It is pleasantly surprising when it turns out our favorite movie actor has a brain too. But with tech CEOs, that's a given. And so suddenly, widely spread thoughts and pronouncements are coming from people who have considered the topic in depth before speaking, rather than relying on their instant prejudices, insecurities, and self-importance.

So should we care if Tim Cook is opposed to Indiana's new law? That's probably less important than asking whether politicians should care.

And the answer is probably yes. If tech CEOs are prepared to use their fame to push social issues and if, for whatever reason, they aren't ignored, lambasted or mocked for doing so, well, then that is a political force. Worse still for actual politicians, it comes with economic power attached.

Indiana may find that it can have as many Chick-fil-A outlets as it likes and fill its malls with Hobby Lobby stores. But if it wants to benefit from big business or keep up-to-date with the modern world and its hiring abilities, then its politicians should start caring what the individuals running tech companies think on all issues.

It may be a distortion of democracy – none of these CEOs were elected, nor can we get rid of them – but hey, at least the rest of us get to see it in real time. ®