Economist: Who's Afraid of Imitating Business Week?

While the cover of the September 1 Economist gives Jack Flack comfort that one of his earlier observations will not end up looking foolish, it also raises a curious question.

When they decided to use the exact same cover headline as the one Business Week employed with its Google cover story back in April, did the Economist do it on purpose?

A: No. Because nobody at the Economist reads Business Week or any other business magazine.

B: Yes. Because the Economist wants to make it clear that nobody at the Economist reads Business Week or any other business magazine.

C: Yes. Because the Economist wanted to show off that it can execute the same idea with a lot more snap.

D: No. Because when it comes to covers, the only real sin would be aping a Private Eye concept.

Jack assumes the actual answer is a softer version of "A," because the Economist has never really viewed mere business magazines as direct competitors.

Whether the Google cover line was intentional or not, the Economist consistently cranks out covers that are either more poignant or funnier (or both) than any other magazine.