“Albert Einstein understood the power of images. Throughout his life he conjured simple scenes to illustrate complex ideas: a plummeting elevator, a train speeding through a lightning storm, a blind beetle creeping along a curved surface.” Albert Einstein is synonymous with genius. He accurately predicted everything from gravitational waves to black holes. He knew his stuff when it came to topics such as space, time, gravity, and the universe. But he had a blind spot. He never even hinted at the fact that he would one day become an influencer and go viral. And when he did, the name-image-likeness dough started pouring in. “Potential licensors were told to submit proposals, which would then be assessed by unnamed arbitrators behind closed doors. An Einstein-branded diaper? No. An Einstein-branded calculator? Yes. Anyone who did not follow this process, or defied the university’s decision, could be subject to legal action. Sellers of Einstein-themed T-shirts, Halloween costumes, coffee beans, SUV trucks and cosmetics found themselves in court. The university’s targets ranged from hawkers of market-stall novelties to multinationals such as Coca-Cola, Apple and the Walt Disney Company, which in 2005 paid $2.66m for a 50-year licence to use the name ‘Baby Einstein’ on its line of infant toys.” Who owns Einstein? The battle for the world’s most famous face. Even if he had lived in a different era, I doubt Einstein was the type to share selfies or attempt to go viral on Facebook or Instagram. In his most famous photo, he was sticking his tongue out at reporters. (So I guess he would’ve been a pretty good fit for Twitter.)