At least he'd be better than Trump... :mellow:
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/will-mark-zuckerberg-be-our-next-president
QuoteWill Mark Zuckerberg Be Our Next President?
It's a serious question. "He wants to be emperor," several people have told me.
by
Nick Bilton
January 13, 2017 2:30 pm
During this crazy and bizarre week—one in which we learned that Donald Trump was briefed by intelligence chiefs that the Russian government had kompromat on him (and then later what said kompromat might comprise)—an interesting fantasy has been circulating around Silicon Valley. On the face of it, the notion may seem as fantastical as a Trump presidency once seemed before he descended that golden staircase in Trump Tower some 18 months ago. Increasingly, a number of influential people in Silicon Valley seem to think that Mark Zuckerberg will likely run for president of the United States one day. And some people, including myself, believe that he could indeed win. "He wants to be emperor" is a phrase that has become common among people who have known him over the years.
We'll get to my theory on what that means a little later. First, let's zip through the myriad indications that he might choose to throw his hoodie into the ring. Last year's Facebook proxy statement articulated that Zuckerberg can run for office and still maintain control of his company. (To this end, Trump's controversial precedent may facilitate any thorny political complications regarding the matter.) Then, over the holidays, Zuckerberg responded to a question about being an atheist, a belief he once professed, with a decidedly more politically circumspect answer: "I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important." (No one likes a president who doesn't believe in some sort of God.) More recently, President Obama's former campaign manager, David Plouffe, joined the philanthropic Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, to lead policy and advocacy. Other politicians from both parties have also joined the organization. And then there was the most obvious intimation: earlier this year, Zuckerberg, who has a habit of posting his annual New Year's resolution on his Facebook page, declared that after conquering the previous challenges of learning Mandarin, and building an artificial-intelligence butler for his home, this year he was going to meet "people in every state in the US." He noted that he's "spent significant time in many states already, so I'll need to travel to about 30 states this year to complete this challenge." I wonder how many of those states are swing states?
Of course, these are just a series of hints. In a funny way, and as insane as it sounds to say out loud, Zuckerberg is one of the few people for whom becoming president of the United States might be a step down. As the chief of Facebook, he is already the true leader of the free world. Zuckerberg commands a company that touches a quarter of the Earth's population, some 1.8 billion monthly active users. There is no one alive who can affect more people with the touch of a button. He has more power and influence than most world leaders and, as is evident with the real fake-news problem (not the fake fake-news issue that Republicans have adopted as a deflection), Facebook can surely sway public opinion in incomparable ways.
If he does want the job, Zuckerberg definitely has the personality for it. When Facebook went public in 2012, I co-authored a profile of the young C.E.O. During the reporting, I heard from several friends about his penchant for playing world-conquering board and video games. Early childhood pals told me that one of Zuckerberg's favorite video games as a boy was Civilization, the game in which you have to "build an empire to stand the test of time." Others have told me that, to this day, Zuckerberg loves to play Risk, a strategy board game where you have to essentially take over the world. Believe it or not, he ended up applying some of these theories while forging and managing the extraordinary growth of Facebook, organizing his product teams in similar ways to his battalions in the board games. (According to someone close to him, these days Zuckerberg loves Game of Thrones and enjoys cooking a meat-laden "Dothraki Feast" while watching Westeros fall in and out of anarchy.)
Zuckerberg's mastery of the actual boardroom is astounding, too. Last year, he changed Facebook's stock voting rights in a way that gives him complete control of the company without having to own the majority of its shares. He also commands the social network from the very top to the very bottom: while Facebook has 15,724 employees, when was the last time that anything leaked? All of this, coupled with the proxy statement allowing him to run for office, suggests that Zuckerberg might get bored playing Civilization and might want to try his hand at the real thing. "Zuck has the kind of personality that, no matter what he decides to do, he's going to do it better than anyone else on the planet," someone close to him said to me a couple of years ago. "If Zuck was running a nonprofit, it would be the world's biggest most successful nonprofit that would have distributed the most money in history to people around the world. It just so happens that he started his career building Facebook. Hence, the fact that it's the biggest social network on the planet."
The person also noted that Facebook would not be Zuckerberg's only contribution to society. "He has much bigger plans," the person said.
So let's just say Zuckerberg decides to run. If you're Elizabeth Warren, Paul Ryan, or Kanye West (who also aspires to be president—God help us all) what's your attack on Zuckerberg? Privacy. Over the years, one of Zuckerberg's biggest blunders has been the lack of respect for people's privacy on Facebook. In the early days of the social network, he pillaged, sneered, and ignored people's concerns about their privacy. Sure, it worked out well for the company and created entirely new societal norms for what it meant to be open, but it's something that is going to follow him wherever he goes. And, given Zuckerberg's unsuccessful bid to get Facebook into China, you can be sure politicians would attempt to paint him as someone just trying to use public office to grow his business. (Though, that didn't seem to hurt you-know-who.)
When I've asked people in Silicon Valley if a Zuckerberg bid is potentially real, the consensus seems to be: absolutely. "He's been incredibly careful about cultivating a specific type of persona over the past few years," one person said. And he's managed to set himself apart from other tech titans. (For example, while Bezos, Musk, Cook, and others made a pilgrimage to Trump's table last month, Zuckerberg sent his second in command, Sheryl Sandberg.) If you ask me, Zuckerberg's biggest problem is that he's not the most sociable. He sticks to himself and his company, doesn't entertain people outside his very tight circle of friends and associates, and appears to be more socially awkward than Howard Hughes. But, he also clearly isn't driven by money—he's the sixth-richest person in the world and has vowed to donate most of his wealth. He wants something bigger. Something that gives him more impact and influence on the planet.
So what about that "He wants to be emperor" statement? I remember once hearing a story about how Zuckerberg used to motivate people when he was a young C.E.O. As a child, he was enamored with literature, and while most people just read books, Zuckerberg instead decided to memorize them. He did this with Homer's Iliad, which tells the story of the battle between the ancient kingdoms of Troy and Sparta. As The Wall Street Journal reported in 2010, at a staff meeting, "Zuckerberg quoted from the movie Troy before hundreds of employees crammed into the steamy basement of a Sheraton hotel in Palo Alto. He recounted the scene where a messenger tells Achilles how scared he would be to confront the giant Thessalonian, whom Achilles was preparing to battle." To this, Zuckerberg shouted to his underlings: "That's why no one will remember your name!" He's echoed that statement over the years, saying that when new hires ask why they should join Facebook, "Tell them: because people will remember your name." Zuckerberg wants his name to be remembered, too. And maybe being C.E.O. of the biggest social network in the world isn't a big enough remembrance.
If Zuckerberg does decide to run for office (and the nothing-but-gossip theory I've heard floating around is that it would be 2024, not 2020, which makes complete sense given that he's still only 32 years old), I personally think he'd be an astounding president. Besides his experience contending with competition trying to destroy him (Google, Snapchat, etc.), and the fact that he has grown Facebook into a $370 billion colossus, it also appears Zuckerberg has been training for the POTUS job for the past decade. Unlike Trump, who has the diplomacy of a Twitter troll, Zuckerberg has become adept at statesmanship over the years meeting with world leaders—including presidents, prime ministers, and notable politicians—since he was in his mid-20s. He's hosted town halls with President Obama, and backed immigration bills. He knows where to focus his energies from a global perspective. Zuckerberg isn't concerned with Russia (which, let's be frank, poses no economic threat to the United States), but he is very concerned with China (which, let's be frank, sure as hell does).
"He wants to be emperor."
Then there's the biggest issue I think America will face over the next 5 to 20 years: automation and artificial intelligence. Trump, who has continually promised to revive the low-skilled segments of the manufacturing business, is utterly oblivious to the reality that robots, driverless cars, and algorithms are going to vanquish millions of jobs in the coming years. It will likely be tens of millions of jobs in the coming decades.
America faces countless challenges on numerous fronts, but the rise of automation may indeed be the biggest, as it is likely to seep into every part of our lives—disrupting the job market, affecting how we interact, and overturning the very time-tested notion of the American dream. One of the chief requirements of our government is that it learns to adapt to these changes and create safety nets for the people who are most vulnerable. Yet Trump seems blissfully impervious to the crisis. I don't even think Trump has any idea what artificial intelligence is. He bragged during the election that he doesn't use a computer. In a future where government infrastructure is vulnerable to hackers, where warfare won't be fought between humans, but rather between software, isn't it time for a president who knows a thing or two about technology?
During the election, Trump tried to present himself as the embodiment of a tough guy, who didn't take anyone's crap. But the way of the world is changing—and it's changing fast—there may be no one tougher than a billionaire nerd who likes playing Risk. Given the choice between Kanye West and Zuckerberg, I know who I'd support.
Like
I've played Risk and Civilization too, maybe I should be President. :hmm:
See, Zuckerberg (and other business leaders - Gates, Bezos, Buffett, etc.) I could see making an honest and serious effort of doing this properly and getting qualified people for cabinet. I'm sure he would be a very unconventional president that ruffles many feathers and would advance some outlandish ideas, but I wouldn't worry about him being able to grasp the requirements, responsibilities, and intricacies of the position.
After spending last year building his international profile with world leaders in Africa, Asia, and Europe, Zuckerberg is now beginning his campaign tour of America. Look at his latest post about Texas:
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103425553874371
Zuckerberg is too young at this point.
Quote from: Caliga on January 19, 2017, 10:29:37 AM
Zuckerberg is too young at this point.
Zuckerberg will be old enough in 2020.
Technically, yes he will be. But I wasn't talking about the minimum legal requirement. I mean he doesn't have enough life experience for a position like POTUS yet. I'd never vote for someone younger than say mid-40s personally.
Quote from: Caliga on January 19, 2017, 10:35:15 AM
Technically, yes he will be. But I wasn't talking about the minimum legal requirement. I mean he doesn't have enough life experience for a position like POTUS yet. I'd never vote for someone younger than say mid-40s personally.
No more experience requirements since Trump '16!
Zuck's image is very dweeby and not really that polished. Jobs was more of a personality like Trump.
Politics should be left to the politicians.
They've trained you well, Mono. :P
Also, Teddy Roosevelt would break up Facebook.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 19, 2017, 11:38:17 AM
Also, Teddy Roosevelt would break up Facebook.
Teddy was a smart guy. He would have understood the difference between artificial monopolies enforced by collusion and predatory pricing and natural monopolies.
Steve Jobs as President :lol:
The White House would be redesigned with cleaner lines and a new stainless steel exterior.
We'd have universal healthcare, it'd be expensive as fuck, but everyone would love paying through the nose for it anyway for some strange reason.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 19, 2017, 11:15:39 AM
Zuck's image is very dweeby and not really that polished. Jobs was more of a personality like Trump.
5 years ago, yes. But Zuckerberg the past 18 months has increased his profile via travel, literal running, and being a family man with his wife, daughter, and dog.
Zuckerberg's latest post 15 minutes ago: he is creating thousands of jobs in the communities he builds in.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10103427282719751&set=a.529237706231.2034669.4&type=3
Sample postings from Zuck the past year:
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/12273611_10102488481195531_2171513027798918571_o.jpg?oh=e5d4fc7500250dd0addb852f5d56ddd7&oe=590F4A15)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10572129_10102573718893501_5066514421043057986_o.jpg?oh=124c4674273518f0f3a32adf467d719b&oe=59205DE5)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/12771697_10102672266957391_2868195495610855756_o.jpg?oh=7f03d389655c04c2428b2bf1e4589a4f&oe=58DA7A55)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13221757_10102830011451161_8591272592588873407_n.jpg?oh=66edb20e584c34a534a59f07d6ead040&oe=5908F4D8)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/14290052_10103089785397091_783080060841939147_o.jpg?oh=b1c7e1a3afbfcafdaacf66f5a196ef4b&oe=59117F10)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15978077_10103425541124921_6286630921208391336_n.jpg?oh=cfc7cdf4a494e5ec2f921594d50c6114&oe=5904D6B0)
Bell bottom chick is perky. :thumbsup:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on January 19, 2017, 10:03:33 AM
At least he'd be better than Trump...
with all the data he has on everyone he has more than enough power already.
All Praise our God-King-Emperor The Zuck!
Better than The Donald.
Nah, it will probably be Trump
Even money Donald does not get a second term.
Even money he won't finish the first one.
Quote from: Maximus on January 19, 2017, 04:26:47 PM
Even money he won't finish the first one.
You think he'll get reelected after being impeached? :unsure:
No, he's not the current president.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 19, 2017, 04:28:36 PM
You think he'll get reelected after being impeached? :unsure:
Although, maybe
Quote from: Maximus on January 19, 2017, 04:29:20 PM
No, he's not the current president.
:bleeding: :frusty:
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 19, 2017, 04:24:10 PM
Even money Donald does not get a second term.
Personally, I am no longer betting on political races. Too chaotic to predict.
(Also not my president, but you knew that. :P )
Anyway, I'd need to know more about Zuckerberg's policy platform, but Wellsian-style rule by smart technogeek billionaires is surely a far more appealing reality than rule by corrupt, literally-demented neo-Nazi billionaires who would be too stupid to be trusted even if I did agree with their basic ideology.
America should just keep trying billionaire until they find the 'right' one.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 19, 2017, 01:05:27 PM
Bell bottom chick is perky. :thumbsup:
Is that Selena Gomez?
If we're going with an alternate billionaire...I'd go with Howard Schultz.
Quote from: Tonitrus on January 19, 2017, 07:09:57 PM
If we're going with an alternate billionaire...I'd go with Howard Schultz.
He'll be free in a few months.
You fucking morons need to STFU already about that sweaty quasi-autistic sociopath Zuckerberg already. Didn't any of you people learn anything from fakesteve.net? Fuck.
And if there's any billionaire fit for the Presidency, it's Hizzoner Bloomberg.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 19, 2017, 08:33:31 PM
And if there's any billionaire fit for the Presidency, it's Hizzoner Bloomberg.
Too old.
agree with those saying he's too autistic to win
Why would anyone vote for Zuckerberg unless he bought their votes? If he wants the rube and moron vote, he needs to get his ass on his own TV show.
Quote from: grumbler on January 19, 2017, 09:32:41 PM
Why would anyone vote for Zuckerberg unless he bought their votes? If he wants the rube and moron vote, he needs to get his ass on his own TV show.
TV is so analog.
Zuckerberg just needs to get his face on everybody's mobile phone and tablet... which he already has the power to do.
Quote from: Caliga on January 19, 2017, 10:35:15 AM
I'd never vote for someone younger than say mid-40s personally.
So if it's a 35-year old against Trump, you're just staying home? :huh:
Why don't you just abolish the elections like they are now and instead of primaries run a reality show with billionaires in which each week one has to leave the house, voted out by the public in the end the winner becomes president. ;)
Quote from: Phillip V on January 19, 2017, 10:18:37 PM
Quote from: grumbler on January 19, 2017, 09:32:41 PM
Why would anyone vote for Zuckerberg unless he bought their votes? If he wants the rube and moron vote, he needs to get his ass on his own TV show.
TV is so analog.
Zuckerberg just needs to get his face on everybody's mobile phone and tablet... which he already has the power to do.
The kind of people who would vote for Zuckerberg don't spend a lot of time on phones and tablets.
Whoosh?
(Was that a joke?)
In the brave new, PC-ridden world that we are starting today, you won't be able to win the Presidency with a name like "Zuckerberg"
Well, everybody uses phones/tablets. If that's the point of the joke, it's not that funny. :P
Quote from: Eddie Teach on January 20, 2017, 08:39:51 AM
Well, everybody uses phones/tablets. If that's the point of the joke, it's not that funny. :P
Since that wasn't my point, this gets even funnier! :)
Just being cryptic for the lulz again, eh.
So the solution to counter Trump in 2020 for the Dems is to go chase for a new SJW messiah to hail. Forgotten everything and learned nothing, I see. <_<
Whalena Dunham for President in 2020?
Quote from: Drakken on January 20, 2017, 01:08:46 PM
So the solution to counter Trump in 2020 for the Dems is to go chase for a new SJW messiah to hail. Forgotten everything and learned nothing, I see. <_<
I do not see any evidence the Dems are considering this. I don't see where the second part follows.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 19, 2017, 11:15:39 AM
Zuck's image is very dweeby and not really that polished. Jobs was more of a personality like Trump.
And Jobs had fame going back decades. Zuck is too new to have the sort of celebrity cache. Right now he is too identified as a Millennial. Once the Millennials get old and grumpy and start whining about those young kids coming in and ruining everything they worked so hard for it will be Zuck's time.
Quote from: Valmy on January 20, 2017, 01:18:46 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 19, 2017, 11:15:39 AM
Zuck's image is very dweeby and not really that polished. Jobs was more of a personality like Trump.
And Jobs had fame going back decades. Zuck is too new to have the sort of celebrity cache. Right now he is too identified as a Millennial. Once the Millennials get old and grumpy and start whining about those young kids coming in and ruining everything they worked so hard for it will be Zuck's time.
Millennials outnumber Boomers now. They just need to (in Vicky terms) gain Consciousness with a dose of Militancy. But first things need to get bad enough that they wake up from smartphones and prescription drugs.
Quote from: Phillip V on January 20, 2017, 01:42:51 PM
Millennials outnumber Boomers now. They just need to (in Vicky terms) gain Consciousness with a dose of Militancy. But first things need to get bad enough that they wake up from smartphones and prescription drugs.
But, do the Millennials out-vote the Losers? The Boomers aren't much of a consideration any more.
Well, except most of the people running everything and most of the people those millennials can vote for are still boomers. :P
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 21, 2017, 06:20:28 PM
Well, except most of the people running everything and most of the people those millennials can vote for are still boomers. :P
Except that the Boomers are retired or retiring, and the Losers have taken over most of the businesses. Millennials work for their parents' generation, not their grandparents'. I'd think most politicians are under 60, but don't have any data to back that up.
Quote
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/01/19/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-sues-hawaiian-families-over-kauai-land/96774246/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/01/19/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-sues-hawaiian-families-over-kauai-land/96774246/)
SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Zuckerberg is looking for more privacy on Kauai and he's going to court to get it.
The Facebook CEO, who purchased a 700-acre waterfront estate for $100 million in 2014, filed eight lawsuits last month against several hundred people to force the sale of land that belongs to local Hawaiian families, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser. The 14 plots on eight acres within Zuckerberg's Kauai estate gives them the right to cross the tech billionaire's land.
Zuckerberg's legal maneuver, called "quiet title and partition," would force local families to sell land that has been in their families for generations to the highest bidder through a public auction, the newspaper said. Zuckerberg has done genealogical research to identify the owners of the Kuleana parcels which were granted to native Hawaiian tenant farmers between 1850 and 1855.
In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said he wanted to clear up "misleading" news articles.
"The land is made up of a few properties. In each case, we worked with the majority owners of each property and reached a deal they thought was fair and wanted to make on their own.
"As with most transactions, the majority owners have the right to sell their land if they want, but we need to make sure smaller partial owners get paid for their fair share too.
"In Hawaii, this is where it gets more complicated. As part of Hawaiian history, in the mid-1800s, small parcels were granted to families, which after generations might now be split among hundreds of descendants. There aren't always clear records, and in many cases descendants who own 1/4% or 1% of a property don't even know they are entitled to anything.
"To find all these partial owners so we can pay them their fair share, we filed what is called a 'quiet title' action. For most of these folks, they will now receive money for something they never even knew they had. No one will be forced off the land."
According to the Star Advertiser, land ownership in the area often lacks legal documentation, with members of the families inheriting land passed down through the generations without a will or property deed. Some are unaware they own the parcels. The few hundred defendants, some dead, have 20 days to respond to the lawsuits.
In an emailed statement, Keoni Shultz, a partner at Cades Schutte and spokesperson for Zuckerberg, said "quiet title actions are the standard and prescribed process to identify all potential co-owners, determine ownership, and ensure that, if there are other co-owners, each receives appropriate value for their ownership share."
Using the law to force land sales has reduced Native Hawaiian landownership, according to A Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law primer on quiet title and partition lawcited by the Star Advertiser.
One of the owners of the land in question, Carlos Andrade, is helping Zuckerberg as co-plaintiff, the newspaper said.
Andrade is a retired 72-year-old University of Hawaii professor of Hawaiian studies who said he lived on his family's kuleana land from 1977 until recently.
He told the newspaper he's supporting Zuckerberg to make sure that his family property isn't lost to the county. Legally documenting who in his family owns what share in the property is too expensive for him, he told the newspaper.
This is not the first time Zuckerberg has taken steps to boost the privacy of his beachfront estate. In June, he upset neighbors by building a rock wall that obstructed their views of the ocean.
Douchebag lawsuit monkey? Yeah, he's POTUS material alright.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 21, 2017, 11:43:06 PM
Douchebag lawsuit monkey? Yeah, he's POTUS material alright.
Misleading news stories written to sell ink? That's new and different!
Quote from: grumbler on January 22, 2017, 08:49:11 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 21, 2017, 11:43:06 PM
Douchebag lawsuit monkey? Yeah, he's POTUS material alright.
Misleading news stories written to sell ink? That's new and different!
OK, Team Zuckerberg, I'll bite: which part is misleading?
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 22, 2017, 10:40:01 AM
Quote from: grumbler on January 22, 2017, 08:49:11 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 21, 2017, 11:43:06 PM
Douchebag lawsuit monkey? Yeah, he's POTUS material alright.
Misleading news stories written to sell ink? That's new and different!
OK, Team Zuckerberg, I'll bite: which part is misleading?
Zuck's response: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103427714244971
Quote from: Phillip V on January 22, 2017, 11:08:07 AM
Zuck's response: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103427714244971
That's not what I asked, or who I asked. Thank you, Team grumbler.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 22, 2017, 10:40:01 AM
OK, Team Zuckerberg, I'll bite: which part is misleading?
The part where anyone is forced to sell anything - you know, the lede.
I would defend zuckerberg on this, but he's not trump, so I won't bother
Quote from: grumbler on January 22, 2017, 11:27:23 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 22, 2017, 10:40:01 AM
OK, Team Zuckerberg, I'll bite: which part is misleading?
The part where anyone is forced to sell anything - you know, the lede.
To "force the sale of land" is not the same as "anyone is forced to sell." You are the one being misleading. So sad!
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 22, 2017, 12:06:40 PM
To "force the sale of land" is not the same as "anyone is forced to sell." You are the one being misleading. So sad!
I have no idea what that menas, but so long as you acknowledge that no one is being forced to sell anything, you are agreeing that the lede is untrue.
Quote from: grumbler on January 22, 2017, 01:51:47 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 22, 2017, 12:06:40 PM
To "force the sale of land" is not the same as "anyone is forced to sell." You are the one being misleading. So sad!
I have no idea what that menas, but so long as you acknowledge that no one is being forced to sell anything, you are agreeing that the lede is untrue.
I am agreeing with myself that you're being your typically obtuse full of shit self.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 22, 2017, 01:54:55 PM
I am agreeing with myself that you're being your typically obtuse full of shit self.
As long as the truth is served, you can call me all the names you want. :hug:
Just like Trumpler: distortion and hating on the media to distract from the real issue.