“It’s like, do your homework and then go play with your friends after. And it’s like, no, what if playing with your friends is the point?” — Mark Zuckerberg.
The metaverse, for many, is the next “big thing” — and one of, if not the biggest company in the industry, Meta, is looking to lead humanity into the virtual world. But shouldn't we know more about the man who leads this company? Just who is Mark Zuckerberg as a creator, a CEO, and a man? Does he actually care about the issues on his platforms or is he as robotic as they say?
Despite being often referred to as a “robot”, “AI”, or sometimes an “alien” on the internet, Zuckerberg’s recent appearance on Lex Fridman’s podcast on February 26 has helped humanize him in the eyes of millions and partially cleanse his company’s name stained by myths or false assumptions. The podcast touched on some of the CEO’s most controversial topics and philosophical views, giving him a chance to speak uninterrupted outside of interrogations and congressional hearings.
On most occasions during the podcast, Zuckerberg let the viewers judge him by his past actions as he shares his personal story while addressing the controversies that emerged along the way. From the very beginning of his journey in pursuit of “connecting people” to his time as a family man whose children will also find their way to social media and live in the world their father affects so much today, “for better or for worse?” is the focus of the podcast.
In response to the topics of the spread of misinformation, political and societal activism, and anti-bot security, the CEO assured that “you do not build a company like this unless you believe that people expressing themselves is a good thing,” highlighting several times that their team works so hard because they believe that by connecting people, they are doing good. Zuckerberg also stated that Meta is ahead of most social media companies in bot-detection and is a pioneer in multiplatform end-to-end encryption of user data, meaning that no one can access the contents of WhatsApp chats from the company’s decked-out server, even if it is compromised by hackers or within the company — a practice not all social networks can proudly execute.
When discussing damaged mental health and self-harm as a result of cyberbullying, Zuckerberg expressed his concern as a father but gave a reassuring answer: “These are some of the biggest things we are most focused on. While this predates the internet, it's probably impossible to get rid of all of it.” He believes that “you want to give people tools to fight it [cyberbullying] and you want to fight it yourself, and you also want to make sure that people have the tools to get help when they need it.” He highlighted the successes made by Meta to detect self-harm and suicidal tendencies as well as connect the endangered users with local first responders and prevention hotlines, putting his belief to practice. The CEO further highlighted the difficulty of countering cyberbullying even with cutting-edge AI, juxtaposing it with countering terrorism. He elaborated that “because things promoting that certain [terrorist] group are going to look a certain way or feel a certain way” while “a lot of bullying is very context-specific." Zuckerberg seemingly proves his competence and involvement in the biggest tasks for his company.
Throughout the podcast, Zuckerberg also reflected on his personal values. As a visionary, the leader of Meta believes self-expression is the core of the metaverse. As a CEO, Zuckerberg seeks to provide the technology to access and condition it. As a confirmed man — after successfully passing a Captcha test given by the host — he attempted to define the meaning of life. Zuckerberg admits that he used to solely define himself as a leader of Meta and that this responsibility to facilitate the advancement of technology overshadowed his personal life. Now, as a father and a husband who values the time spent with his loved ones more than the time spent in the office, he began to cherish “human connection” outside his company's mission. He believes it is something society “systematically undervalues” and something he wishes to improve. As for the meaning of life, Zuckerberg seems to have come full circle — his goal, as he sees it, is to facilitate human connection free of any physical limits. His goal, as a man, is to lead Meta.