Rapper Will.i.am and Simon Cowell may be judges and coaches on rival television shows, but the two have decided to team up for another judging gig. In an X Factor spin-off, Will.i.am of the Voice and Cowell of American Idol and X Factor fame will search the states for the world’s next Bill Gates (News - Alert).

The plan for the new entrepreneurial-type talent show was put together over a secretive dinner in Los Angeles last month, and word is just now beginning to leak.

“We’re working on a project called X Factor for Tech--and it’s going to be out of this world,” said Will.i.am. 


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The show will take a different route compared to the singing competitions Cowell and Will.i.am have worked with previously, focusing on budding technology wizards instead of recording artist hopefuls. The initial idea for the show reportedly surfaced with an incentive to create more jobs in the struggling economy, as well as in response to the news surrounding the late Apple (News - Alert) genius Steve Jobs’ recent death.

“Singing and performance create a couple of jobs. But this will create lots. It’s about getting in touch with youth and giving them a platform to express themselves--whether that’s in science or mathematics,” explained Will.i.am.

Cowell was rumored to have another show in the works with Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, which would look for DJs instead of singers, but those plans have officially been scrapped.

Now, Cowell can instead focus on what he and Will.i.am are hesitantly calling “X Factor for Tech.”

But how did the showbiz giants and television rivals come together with this idea in the first place? Apparently the two collaborated at a technology conference in London, and the plan went from there.

“Simon’s cool,” said Will.i.am. “We had a wicked dinner a couple of weeks ago and it was very nice.”

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