41–50 of 87 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's almost like he's a human being and is fallible.
What seems to be passed off as a foible seems to me to be sociopathic. Edit: less accusatory
What's with the hate in this thread? He achieved something quite remarkable. Back then, most people wouldn't have guessed that this silly campus site ever became as big as it is now. And now, Mark created a business with thousands of employees, changing how we communicate, how we discover information about the cities we live in. Give the man some respect. This isn't about his privileged background, but about the pers…
Facebook stopped being a fad and became a staple. People who could not fathom using new technology bought a netbook and learned to use it just to find long lost acquaintances and keep in touch with their sons. It's not just chatting, but it's about the core experience: "We are in this together". Photos, silly daily updates and videos make distance less painful.
What's with the hate in this thread? He achieved something quite remarkable. Back then, most people wouldn't have guessed that this silly campus site ever became as big as it is now. And now, Mark created a business with thousands of employees, changing how we communicate, how we discover information about the cities we live in. Give the man some respect. This isn't about his privileged background, but about the pers…
>changing how we communicate... Perhaps, though I'm not convinced it was for the better. every time I log into Facebook I log off within five minutes wondering why I continue to waste my time with it. Maybe that's just my problem, I don't know.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Isn't that a little like saying Google is a copy and paste of Alta Vista?
If I can copy and paste what you're thinking, then yes. Otherwise, nope. Too hard to tell what's underlying the code in the case of a search engine, machine learning or artificial intelligence system. Large difference between the code behind intelligent algorithms and text entry boxes with DB calls. BBSs, TheWell, Compuserve, Prodigy, AOL, TheGlobe, Geocities, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, what's next? Fill in the b…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Trash talking at that age is an embarrassingly normal thing to do. Accusing people of sociopathy without evidence is worse. It's also hugely diluting of signal/noise ratio in threads. Grandiose accusations are noise, and no evidence means no signal. Please don't post such things to HN.
Re: accusatory tone - I adjusted my comment to reflect more clearly this is only my take away. But I think his words and actions are the evidence. I understand trash talk, but calling your users (behind their back) "dumb fucks" sounds like nothing but contempt.
How many people have any real basis for knowing what Zuckerberg meant by those words? A line like that could mean almost anything. You'd have to have known him at the time. Also, how many people can truly claim never to have said anything just as bad or foolish? Those two groups must be minuscule, yet to be justified in making such an accusation, you'd have to belong to both of them.
Far more likely, what's going on here is wishful thinking, where the wish is e.g. to see someone else as a monster. The quote is just a convenient prop.
People bring it out at the slightest provocation. It has become an internet reflex, so it no longer adds any information. More importantly, it's the opposite of the principle of charity—i.e. giving the other person the benefit of the doubt—which we try to practice here.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's almost like he's a human being and is fallible.
What seems to be passed off as a foible seems to me to be sociopathic. Edit: less accusatory
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What seems to be passed off as a foible seems to me to be sociopathic. Edit: less accusatory
I quit using facebook after I watched him exposing people on the site to everyone who happened to be hanging out in the computer lab (basement Harvard science center). He came off as incredibly inhumane. I got the impression that he feels other people are beneath him, to be used by him for his ends. I see this pattern in every aspect of his company, and it saddens me to see how much it is idolized by people.
What a system! Where being a terrible manipulative monster is encouraged.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Re: accusatory tone - I adjusted my comment to reflect more clearly this is only my take away. But I think his words and actions are the evidence. I understand trash talk, but calling your users (behind their back) "dumb fucks" sounds like nothing but contempt.
Thanks for adjusting your comment. I want to expand on the point a bit further because I think it's important for Hacker News. But I don't mean to pick on you personally, so I hope you don't feel that way. How many people have any real basis for knowing what Zuckerberg meant by those words? A line like that could mean almost anything. You'd have to have known him at the time. Also, how many people can truly claim nev…
I did know him at the time. He was not a friend, but I saw him every day. My friends were his roommates and in the same circles as some of the early fb people, so I saw and heard a lot to explain the guy and his motivations.
It is not an exaggeration to say he has done sociopathic things. He didn't hurt people physically (obviously), but he exploited them to the maximum extent that he has been allowed. Harvard attracts people like this guy, but honestly he was a bit extreme, maybe even out of our league. If you don't care about what people feel or think beyond what they can do to you, you can make the most optimum decisions for yourself.
He demonstrated this capacity in impressive form on several occasions which are now public so don't need to be described here. My initial reaction, before the media had taken up and transmitted its own interpretation of these stories, was exactly what many here are saying. So you don't need to moderate the discussion by noting that no one involved knew the guy at the time--- what people are saying is on point. His character is evident in his life's work.
Life requires compromise, so it's unlikely that he can do anything really bad now, due to the size of the operation and how many people are working together toward the greater goal of making "the" communication platform. That said, the idea that people need facebook to communicate on the internet is a conceit. The goal of this company is to centralize your communication and social life so it can be analyzed, exploited, and manipulated. That structure has grown from the motivations of this 19 year-old, aloof, and rather arrogant kid. The world has accepted it. Fair enough.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for adjusting your comment. I want to expand on the point a bit further because I think it's important for Hacker News. But I don't mean to pick on you personally, so I hope you don't feel that way. How many people have any real basis for knowing what Zuckerberg meant by those words? A line like that could mean almost anything. You'd have to have known him at the time. Also, how many people can truly claim nev…
> How many people have any real basis for knowing what Zuckerberg meant by those words? A line like that could mean almost anything. You'd have to have known him at the time. Also, how many people can truly claim never to have said anything just as bad or foolish? Those two groups must be minuscule, yet to be justified in making such an accusation, you'd have to belong to both of them. I did know him at the time. He…
The moderation point is off, though. An unsubstantive smear doesn't suddenly become a good comment just because someone else shows up and posts a better one.