On Free Basics: <i>"We’ve learned a lot about how we need to interact with governments and the political system and regulators, and build support in order to have these things work. And I think we’ll take those lessons forward on the future work we’re doing in Free Basics, which by the way is continuing to roll out around the world. One day, once we’ve shown that it’s a successful program around the world, I hope that we’ll get another chance to come back to India and offer it there, too.</i>"<p>Come on, Mark... your stubbornness sometimes works well in making product decisions, but isn't working well in this strategic context. Free Basics rolled out in all these other countries by interacting with 'the political system', regulators, governments (not to mention telecoms.) But it was grassroots activists who stopped you in India. And you still haven't learned that what we want is not better management of regulators, but net neutrality. It blows my mind.<p>It is exhausting enough to have to oppose telecom networks and other industries in their efforts to turn the Internet into Cable TV (by creating different tiers and segments of the internet), and meanwhile every few months Mark wants to lunge into the conversation with this nonsense. Facebook should be helping preserve net neutrality worldwide, not putting their energy and resources into undermining it.<p>India wants the same Internet that Mark used to create Facebook in his Harvard dorm room. Accept nothing less.
Something about Zuck just seems inauthentic and robotic. Maybe the style of writing makes it sound like a sponsored PR piece, or maybe it's the incessant corporate speak. I suspect the reality is Zuck is a strong CEO and weak innovator. Facebook is established and boring, and now all that's left is to entrench the world with proprietary Zuckernet. I strongly suspect Zuck will become the characterized depiction of the robber baron, but that's just my unfounded prediction.
Spread FB to everyone so he can deliver news in headlines absent of nuance with the effect of reinforcing existing held beliefs, strengthening conspiracy theories, and increasing polarization and radicalism. Thanks Mark! Glad your hot or not prank worked out so well for you.
I'm curious what others think about the vision for a more-connected world. While I think the positives far outweigh the negatives in abstract, I wonder if the relatively segregated and disconnected civilizations we've built until now are equipped to deal with the complexities of a more-connected world. Cultural differences, religious differences, ethical differences, etc. are all potential points of friction when you begin connecting groups that had previously been separated by geography but can now interface with one-another. I think Mark's vision for a more-connected world is inevitable -- arguably, it's something that's been happening for all time, albeit perhaps not at the pace we see today, as digital connectivity provides the ability to connect distant groups far easier than physical connectivity ever allowed. I just hope the outcome is a net positive for humanity.
Of all the household name tech leaders (Brin, Bezos, Musk, Jobs, etc), Zuckerberg really does strike me as the least substantial and most likely to be inauthentic. Obviously this is just a personal opinion but Facebook seems so laughably inconsequential compared to all of the companies that have made these other founders rich and famous. Apple invents incredible stuff. Google has organized the world's information in astounding ways. Musk is trying to change how energy is consumed (clown show aside). Facebook sells ads based on viral videos of cats falling off furniture and provides yet another forum for people to showcase their own vanity. It's not surprising to me that this is a guy who right before Facebook, created a website to compete with "Hot or Not".
The contrast to Elon Musk's plan is so striking.<p>Musk is trying to fix global climate change, avoid the 1 million+ yearly traffic deaths and secure the future of the human race in case there is a planetary-size disaster.<p>Zuck just wants more more users, "engagement" and in the end - opportunities for monetization.
Facebook to me just looks like a service that wants to build as big of a walled garden as it can and then feed the inhabitants whatever it wants to further its agenda. Then they just speak of it in terms of "helping" everyone.
If he actually going to deliver "Internet access" with those drones, or is this another one of his shenanigans trying to force-feed people Facebook as the "Internet" in poor countries?