Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mark Zuckerberg Hits the Road To Meet Regular Folks -- With a Few Conditions (foxbusiness.com)

Posted by msmash on from the zuckerberg-will-see-you-now dept.

Mark Zuckerberg is trying to understand America, so he's embarked on a journey to meet people like hockey moms and steelworkers who don't typically cross his path. But there are rules to abide by if you are an ordinary person about to meet an extraordinary entrepreneur. From a report: Rule One: You probably won't know Mr. Zuckerberg is coming. Rule Two: If you do know he's coming, keep it to yourself. Rule Three: Be careful what you reveal about the meeting. While the Facebook CEO has built a social network that inspired people around the world to share the most intimate details about their personal lives, his team goes to extraordinary lengths to keep his movements under wraps and control how he is perceived. Midway through a "personal challenge" to travel to 30 states he'd never visited, the 33-year old aims "to talk to more people about how they're living, working and thinking about the future," he wrote in January on his Facebook page. Among those people was Kyle McKasson, manager of the Wilton Candy Kitchen, a century-old shop on the town square in Wilton, Iowa. He was at work one Monday afternoon in June when two men and a woman dressed in jeans and button-down shirts entered the store, which is a regular stop on Iowa's presidential campaign circuit.

34 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. What a pompous ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Meet regular folks". Yeah, you're the moron living in an ivory tower dude. Just fuck off and leave us alone.

    1. Re:What a pompous ass by ranton · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Meet regular folks". Yeah, you're the moron living in an ivory tower dude. Just fuck off and leave us alone.

      There is a real problem in this country where people stay within their own "bubble", whether that is a liberal elite bubble or rural American bubble or whatever. Making a concerted effort to reach outside of those bubbles is a good thing and not something which should be criticized. You may criticize the method used to reach out if you feel it is ineffective, but deriding the entire idea of reaching out to people in different socioeconomic and cultural circumstances is hopelessly ignorant of this issue in our society.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    2. Re:What a pompous ass by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He's planning on running for office. If Trump can do it, why can't he?
      Sadly, I can't disagree with that argument.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    3. Re:What a pompous ass by interkin3tic · · Score: 2

      Interesting catch 22. If he stays in his "liberal elite bubble" he's a pompous ass. If he tries to venture outside the bay area, he's a pompous ass.

      Don't get me wrong, he probably is a pompous ass, but not because of geography, travel, or meeting people. Even the screamingly obvious moves to run for some type of office doesn't make him a pompous ass.

      Alright, MAYBE being a rich dude in the bay area does make one a pompous ass, so maybe geography a bit.

      At any rate, it's hard to deny that a billionaire is not "regular folks" unless you've got some weird GOP cult thing going on.

    4. Re:What a pompous ass by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      I'm sure he loses sleep over the thought of you turning him away...

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    5. Re:What a pompous ass by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If Trump can do it, it proves that there are absolutely no barriers to the Presidency. The office is being so heavily devalued now that I can't imagine why Zuckerberg would even want it. Being Mayor of New York City has more prestige these days.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    6. Re:What a pompous ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      rural American bubble

      The rural American bubble? What sort of imaginary nonsense is that? The rest of the planet has — as its mission — the duty to keep any such bubble from ever forming. There is no form of media from printed news to Facebook, foreign or domestic, broadcast or otherwise, that doesn't hesitate to shit on the deplorables of rural America. Nothing. It is simply impossible to come anywhere near any form of published or syndicated media and not immediately know what a irredeemable pile of excrement you are as a bitter, clinging rural American. To the extent that a "rural American bubble" could possibly be theorized to exist it must be as a manifestation of being the only class or strata of people in the nation that can be openly hated without consequence, and only group of people responsible for their own condition.

    7. Re:What a pompous ass by WrongMonkey · · Score: 2

      Good. Prestige should not be what motivates people to pursue public office.

    8. Re:What a pompous ass by cayenne8 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'd rather have a few drinks with Keith Richards....while we still have him.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    9. Re: What a pompous ass by saloomy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm sorry, but if you think someone who founded a $300B company in 10 years before he was 30 to be "regular folk", sho me someone extraordinary. He learned Chinese and did after all, bring the worlds people together, reconnected old friends, and helped spread information into populations under total Ian regime rule. He isn't regular, he leads an incredibly productive life, and helping him understand the plight of people less successful, and fortunate, than him; if not for his money and how he could spend it philanthropically but also for his ability to solve problems. Jealous much?

    10. Re: What a pompous ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      No...someone else wrote the code. He's no different than Trump...marketing, salesmanship, etc.

    11. Re: What a pompous ass by WrongMonkey · · Score: 5, Insightful

      sho me someone extraordinary

      Most people have some special talent. Some people are good at math. Some people can run fast. Some people are good cooks. Some people are funny. Some people are sensitive and caring. The fact that Zuckerberg's particular set of talents happen to be financially lucrative does not automatically make him more extraordinary than anyone else with a different set of talents. In fact, our society's obsession with financial success above all else will probably be its downfall.

    12. Re: What a pompous ass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Ripping off someone else's idea and learning a foreign language makes you a visionary now? Call me when he comes up with something novel.

      Being rich doesn't mean you're worth anything; if he'd never have been born we'd still have a MyBook, FaceSpace InterSphere or whatever. If he wants to spend his money helping people then why not lobby for tax reform so that people like him have to pay their fair share in the first place?

    13. Re: What a pompous ass by phantomfive · · Score: 2, Informative

      The fact that Zuckerberg's particular set of talents happen to be financially lucrative does not automatically make him more extraordinary than anyone else with a different set of talents.

      Which particular talents are you talking about? Effectively stealing ideas from other people?

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    14. Re: What a pompous ass by cthulhu11 · · Score: 2

      He might start with how he runs Facebook.

      1) Stop forcing cramming everyone into one huge crowded neurodiversity-hostile room

      2) Stop forcing employees to live in the silly valley

    15. Re: What a pompous ass by strikethree · · Score: 2

      Ummm. I do not see Mark Zuckerberg as someone terribly special. He was in the right place at the right time and was able to capitalize on it. There is nothing terribly unique about any of it.

      If you want people who can blow your mind, think more along the lines of E=MC^2, or people who can hack current groupthink like Thomas Jefferson.

      Mark is no more amazing than Bill Gates. They would be more interesting if they had grown up in normal families with minimal resources. As it is, they are just normal people from abnormal circumstances who were very lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right resources.

      In other words, you can not really say with a straight face that Mark or Bill were poor businessmen, but by the same token, you also can not say that they were awesome or superior. Running a business competently is not THAT terribly unique.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
  2. Be careful what you reveal about the meeting by turkeydance · · Score: 4, Insightful

    or what?

    1. Re:Be careful what you reveal about the meeting by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or he'll make unwanted connections to your Facebook account that will make the CIA flag you as a potential terrorist?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    2. Re:Be careful what you reveal about the meeting by turkeydance · · Score: 2

      that's just it. some "regular" people don't have social media accounts. maybe he would fake one?

    3. Re:Be careful what you reveal about the meeting by jandrese · · Score: 2

      Meanwhile on Facebook: Turkeydance is now friends with NAMBLA, the KKK, The Communist Party, and ISIS.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    4. Re:Be careful what you reveal about the meeting by HelpTheNewOverlord · · Score: 2

      He will cancel the meeting?

    5. Re:Be careful what you reveal about the meeting by Dragonslicer · · Score: 2

      Meanwhile on Facebook: Turkeydance is now friends with NAMBLA...

      What's wrong with the North American Marlon Brando Look-Alikes?

  3. Rule 4: by John+Jorsett · · Score: 4, Funny

    Make no eye contact. Rule 5: Under no circumstances touch Mr. Zuckerberg. Rule 6: Do not speak unless Mr. Zuckerberg speaks to you first. Rule 7: When dismissed, leave as quickly as possible.

  4. Re:Don't talk about the Mark Zuckerberg meeting by Digital+Avatar · · Score: 5, Insightful
    1. The first rule of Zuck Club is you do not talk about Zuck Club.
    2. The second rule of Zuck Club is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT ZUCK CLUB.
    3. Third rule of Zuck Club: Someone yells 'fascist!', 'racist!', or 'bigot!', that argument is over.
    4. Fourth rule: Only two sides to an argument.
    5. Fifth rule: One argument at a time, fellas.
    6. Sixth rule: No hate speech, no hatred.
    7. Seventh rule: Arguments will go on until the fascist admits defeat.
    8. And the eighth and final rule: If this is your first night at Zuck Club, you have to argue.

    Mischief. Mayhem. Rigging the narrative. ZUCK CLUB.

    Coming to an election near you, 2018. Rated PC-13(88).

  5. Re:Fuck Suckerberg. by HornWumpus · · Score: 2

    Wouldn't have been sufficient, unless he was running against the most openly corrupt and incompetent candidate in 100+ years.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  6. Maybe he forgot... by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2

    ...he used to be an "ordinary" person as well.

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  7. Sounds like this guy is running for president by MobyDisk · · Score: 2

    Sounds like this guy is running for president. He's made a lot of public political comments, and now this. Hmmm....

  8. Re: Fuck Suckerberg. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Donald Trump is president because we grew tired of smug, condescending elitists like you telling us that we were stupid, racist, and xenophobic.

    You demanded that we vote for your chosen one. It was her turn, after all.

    We picked the person that you hated the most. You had shit on us for so long... You were comfortable. You thought that you already won. You thought we didn't matter, and that our sun had set.

    Fuck you. That's why Trump is president. He is a living, breathing Fuck You.

    That's what I tell people when they can't understand what happened: there simply were enough people fed up that they'd rather "see the world burn" than elect another career politician. They decided "fuck it, let's go with the wildcard for once."

  9. Too many... by Arkh89 · · Score: 2

    Too may resources, not enough problems...

  10. Re: Fuck Suckerberg. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Shit on you for so long? The democrats had a slim majority in congress for a short time at the beginning of Obama's term and since then absolutely jack and shit got done because republicans stuck their fingers in their ears and refused to sign off on anything the President or democrats supported. Now the republicans have full control over everything and President Dumphuck can't even get manage to get these retarded children to agree on a replacement for the piece of legislation they collectively spent half a decade hating.

    Seems to me, if you were called stupid it's because you fucking are. But hey, you won, and that's the same as being right in the end, isn't it? I hope you enjoy being denied healthcare coverage due to a preexisting condition.

  11. Politics is a rough choice by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 2

    A lot of things Mark Zuckerberg says and does make he think he wants to enter politics. Most others will delegate and work on compiled reports - this attempt to reach out to the masses seems very politician like.

    I agree that this seems very politician-like.

    I've been thinking about this a lot recently, in the frame of who will be running for president in 2000.

    Politics is a rough choice, and it takes a very seasoned celebrity to just shrug off the criticism. Add to that the dirty tricks (operation veritas), the completely made-up stories (pizzagate), and the public's general interest in anything that's shocking, unusual, or worthy of memes.

    Anyone who bases their self-image in any way on the opinion of others would be completely devastated in a political run. Ross Perot wasn't able to do that, and I'm continuously surprised that Donald Trump could.

    Zuckerberg in particular seems too young to have a solid and strong ego, and he doesn't have the experience of politics or celebrity status to fall back on.

    While it's a laudable goal, I just don't see Mark Zuckerberg as a viable presidential candidate in the next two or three elections.

    I also wonder how much hands-on leadership he has at Facebook. I don't see him as having a vision, and getting people on-board with that vision. Also, I don't see him taking a lot of risks with the company direction.

    Contrast with Jeff Bezos, who is taking Amazon in new directions, with some measure of risk, or Elon Musk, who is drawing together a vertically integrated ecosystem of companies. Those two would probably make better political candidates, if they decided to do that.

    Politics is a rough choice, and I don't see Mark Zuckerberg fitting in to that lifestyle.

  12. A Gentle Creature by tylersoze · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't know I've liked what I've seen so far.

    http://www.somethingawful.com/...

  13. why? by jm007 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    some kid gets lucky with an app and becomes rich; sure, maybe he's a good programmer, dunno, but by far the majority of his financial success is from luck; good for him, no grudge on my end and maybe I could learn something from how it all happened

    so why does he get special air time for anything outside of that? our society has a strange way of giving folks who've done something of note in one area a free pass in other areas for which they have no credentials

    for example, asking an actor who they recommend for president..... really? someone who is good at pretending to be somebody else is now someone we should listen to about such weighty issues? sure, they *might* be a pundit of sorts but that credibility has to be earned outside of them being famous for acting

    similar to how we pedestalize sports and entertainment figures and report on their every mouth fart on topics far outside playing with a ball or singing and dancing

    if he had not become rich/famous at 20-ish and was just another programmer at some XYZ corp.... would he be listened to as intently by an eager reporter? has he enough life experience to run his mouth intelligently on anything? so since he DID get rich/successful while very young, and lived in a rich-guy bubble since then wherein his posse constantly cups his balls, do you think he's lived the kind of life to qualify as someone to be taken seriously outside of any of that?

    he's still a child, stunted by not having to live his critical 20's dealing with regular-guy shit like the rest of us; if he's got something important to say to me, it'll have to be done while NOT riding on the coat tails of his super-lucky app success

  14. hit hard enough by stooo · · Score: 2

    >>"Mark Zuckerberg Hits the Road"
    Apparently he didn't hit hard enough.
    Climb up bridge and try again.

    --
    aaaaaaa