Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gets his own back after refusing to remove a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi using deepfake techniques that combine news footage of himself with fake audio.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss openly discuss their ongoing dispute with Mark Zuckerberg over who owns what share in social media giant Facebook, as well as why they intend to fight hard for it.
1. Interview with David Kirkpatrick
Aaron Sorkin’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network film likely holds some truth; after all, the nineteen-year-old college dropout obsesses over making Harvard’s final clubs; is devastated when his scholarship girl dumps him; hacks into various mainframes to create Hot-or-Not knockoff FaceMash; and begins having an affair with a Viacom executive just prior to starting his first company.
Kirkpatrick, co-author of The Facebook Effect and host of Techonomy conferences, caught Zuckerberg’s eye through his articles on Techonomy and was granted unprecedented access to him – giving rise to an insightful account of Facebook’s journey from Harvard genesis to internet dominance.
At Harvard, Zuckerberg was subjected to an intensive 105-minute discussion that covered topics including privacy and misinformation. For instance, he discussed Facebook’s decision to curb the dissemination of an inaccurate New York Post article making false allegations about one of its executives’ sons. While occasionally awkward at times, this dialogue provided an excellent chance to gauge where Zuckerberg stands on some pressing matters.
2. Video Call with Prime Minister David Cameron
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook remains a mysterious individual, yet we do have access to his thoughts and opinions through public utterances he makes public; one primary source for these recordings can be found on his website known as The Zuckerberg Files.
The New York Times describes these files as comprising video footage of Zuckerberg from 2004 through 2018 along with transcripts of some of his more telling statements, including, among others:
One particularly memorable video in the archive is of Mark Zuckerberg speaking with British Prime Minister David Cameron during a phone call. They discuss how social media will allow citizens to engage with government more easily while suggesting ways that Britain can reduce spending.
The pair also discussed the Threads app, an up-and-coming messaging service similar to Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg pokes fun at Elon Musk for mocking Threads by tweeting an image showing Spider-Man pointing his finger towards himself; in response, Zuckerberg responded by posting a picture of a unicorn – showing his keen sense of humor while poking fun at others.
3. Interview with Sean Parker
Sean Parker, founder of Napster and current President of Facebook, is known for being a fearless party animal who’s not afraid to break away from convention. In The Social Network he’s depicted as an engaging yet duplicitous player whose story revolves around charming yet harshly ousting an opponent from Facebook.
Zuckerberg agreed in an interview with Jonathan Zittrain of Harvard Law’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society that his company’s dominance on social media can have serious ramifications, such as changing democracy or helping individuals find jobs. Additionally, he spoke of hosting “a series of public discussions” regarding technology’s place in society.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Zittrain had an engaging yet occasionally amicable discussion regarding issues such as privacy, surveillance, fake news and the business model of his company. Zuckerberg highlighted his prioritization of long-term decisions for what content to provide users rather than short term profits gained by serving clickbait ads and manipulative advertisements to generate short term profits for his firm. Furthermore, he indicated his intent of moving towards end-to-end encryption on all its owned platforms (WatsApp being already encrypted), Messenger and Instagram to provide messaging services with full end-to-end encryption by 2025.
4. Video Tour of Facebook Headquarters
At Harvard dorm room level, Zuckerberg began creating Facebook in 2004. Since then, his social media giant and related apps have expanded exponentially; amassing a billionaire fortune, he and wife Priscilla co-founded Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in 2015 in order to address some of society’s greatest challenges such as eliminating disease, improving education and meeting local community needs through partnerships, collaborations and technologies.
CZI helps fund Zuckerberg’s charitable endeavors, including his recent gift of $1.5 million to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Together with his wife Priscilla, they are raising Maxima and August in a way that doesn’t involve too much screen time or expensive toys.
Zuckerberg remains committed to allowing users to freely express themselves on his platform despite recent concerns over privacy and misinformation. He’s an enthusiastic proponent of virtual reality technology which will become an ever more integral part of daily life over time.
5. Interview with Twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
Gemini, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, was founded by two twin sisters who sued Mark Zuckerberg over his theft of their idea for Facebook back in 2004. Here they discuss why they still believe he stole it as well as their decision to start their own company instead of investing any settlement money they received in 2004.
The Winklevoss twins initially gained notoriety as Harvard’s “angry jocks in suits”, as depicted by The Social Network film. But their feud with Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t their only issue – as Mezrich details, they went on to launch Winklevoss Capital, designed as a venture investment firm; but were soon blacklisted from Silicon Valley due to their dispute.
Mark Zuckerberg is known for being reserved when interviewed, but during a three-hour discussion with Joe Rogan he let down his guard. They discussed everything from his plans for the metaverse to his love of jiu-jitsu.