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Zuckerberg Gets a Crash Course in Charm. Will Congress Care? (bgr.com)
An anonymous reader writes: It goes without saying that no tech CEO ever wants to make the trek down to Washington D.C. and appear before congress. And Zuckerberg -- at a surface level -- seems particularly ill-suited for the task. Though clearly an incredible mind, remember that Zuckerberg is a tech-minded programmer and far from a savvy and political operator. That being the case, many people are curious as to how the Facebook founder, who it's worth noting is just 33 years old, will fare when confronted with hard hitting questions from politicians.
In an effort to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that Zuckerberg's appearance goes off without a hitch, The New York Times is reporting that Facebook recently hired a team of experts and coaches tasked with ensuring that Zuckerberg has the tools to deftly navigate the potentially deep waters of Congress. Of particular interest is that Zuckerberg has been learning how to be charming and exhibit humility in the face of heavy-handed and probing questions. The report says, "It [ Facebook] has also hired a team of experts, including a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, to put Mr. Zuckerberg, 33, a cerebral coder who is uncomfortable speaking in public, through a crash course in humility and charm. The plan is that when he sits down before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees on Tuesday, Mr. Zuckerberg will have concrete changes to talk about, and no questions he can't handle."
In an effort to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that Zuckerberg's appearance goes off without a hitch, The New York Times is reporting that Facebook recently hired a team of experts and coaches tasked with ensuring that Zuckerberg has the tools to deftly navigate the potentially deep waters of Congress. Of particular interest is that Zuckerberg has been learning how to be charming and exhibit humility in the face of heavy-handed and probing questions. The report says, "It [ Facebook] has also hired a team of experts, including a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, to put Mr. Zuckerberg, 33, a cerebral coder who is uncomfortable speaking in public, through a crash course in humility and charm. The plan is that when he sits down before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees on Tuesday, Mr. Zuckerberg will have concrete changes to talk about, and no questions he can't handle."
If "Charm" is being used as a euphemism for donations, they'll care all right.
"Deep waters?" "Hard hitting questions?" They are giving the US congress a lot of credit. I agree preparation is a good idea. But, perhaps he should be more prepared for a barrage of vacuous, ideological grandstanding than rigorous insight.
If "Charm" is being used as a euphemism for donations, they'll care all right.
Well, he has already donated to 80% of the people "interogating" him. Then again if they actually wanted to know something they wouldn't invite a clueless CEO but someone with expertise, these hearings are always mostly show.
Congress critter: "Were you aware that user data was accessible by third parties and open to abuse?"
Zuckerberg: "I do not recall."
Congress critter: "How much of Facebook's income is derived from providing user data to third parties?"
Zuckerberg: "I do not recall."
Congress critter: "Does Facebook store or monetize deleted data, data from users that have deleted their accounts, or data collected on people who do not have Facebook accounts?"
Zuckerberg: "I do not recall."
Congress critter: "Was Facebook aware that foreign, state-sponsored actors were utilizing Facebook's data?"
Zuckerberg: "I do not recall."
Congress critter: "What steps are Facebook taking to ensure this doesn't happen again?"
Zuckerberg: "Here's $50,000 to each Committee member's reelection campaign."
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
Remains to be see how "hard hitting" the questioning is when the members of congress received substantial donations from Facebook and associates.
There were MANY social media sites BEFORE and AFTER facebook.
Social Media Timeline
Mark has/had an arrogant attitude towards his users:
Mr. Zuckerberg will have concrete changes to talk about, and no questions he can't handle.
Ah, Mr.... Zuckerberg. Is it not the case that Facebook's business model is founded on the premise that social interaction is a crack-like activity that can be used to lure users into providing personal information that you can relentlessly monetize?