That's why I enjoyed it so much. PG puts thought into every word of these essays. If I know him well enough to have an opinion, that sentence was crafted as much for its contents as for its tone, and that's what made it so awesome. Any disgruntled founder saying it would have been status quo. PG saying that in an essay is just pure entertainment to me.

I think he liked the alliteration too much to give it up.

Masters/minions also would have worked.

...and without the terribly sexist undertones, at that.

I was trying to think of an alternative myself and didn't strike on one.