It depends, there are certain people whose opinion I respect more than others.

Tech celebrities are a bit different from regular celebrities. It's (usually) not about what they look like and I'm sure most people you ask wouldn't know who someone like Joel Spolsky was anyway. With nothing else to go by, I would respect Joel's opinion far more than someone I've never spoken to before.

If Bill Gates started commenting here, I'd certainly be paying attention. :)