Zuckerberg: King of the Metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in his dorm room in Harvard while still a student. It did not take long for his idea to his the stratosphere.

This documentary is not a hagiography. It shows Facebook is not a company that is receptive to employees criticisms about its power. Especially if they whistleblow. They get labelled as rats.

Eventually Zuckerberg was called to a US Senate hearing in 2018. Commentators thought he would have met his match. Zuckerberg was intensively coached by his lawyers.

In the end, he met a bunch of politicians who did not even understand the internet. The US Senate has been coasting off its reputation of the black and white footage of the Joe McCarthy hearing for decades.

As proof just check out former British politician George Galloway online. He was summoned by the American senators in 2005 over some alleged oil deals with Iraq that broke UN sanctions. Galloway ended up giving them both barrels instead.

This was a lightweight account about Facebook. There is little about the metaverse nor the challenges it faces in the future.

In the next episode: Mark Zuckerberg The Farmer. All about 1,400 acres, $170 million Ko'olau Ranch. His plan for reportedly a $100 million family compound, that will include a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker featuring an escape hatch and a tunnel leading to two connecting mansions, at the center of the compound that will total about 57,000 square feet of living space, and 11 disk-shaped treehouses will be connected by rope bridges. The property will be dotted with guest houses and will include a large building with a gym, pools, sauna, hot tub and tennis court. Zuckerberg said he has begun raising cattle at his Ko'olau Raunch, in order to create "some of the highest quality beef in the world." The billionaire said he will breed wagyu and angus cows, feeding them macadamia nuts and beer produced at the ranch.

You know every simple billionaire dream. And all this is made possible by you, me and over a billion other FB schnucks.

FYI, wagyu meat (A5) cost up to $200 per pound, and the cows themselves can sell for as much as $30,000.

Is this an exhaustive documentary? No

Would it be good it was more nuanced and had sources currently supporting Zuckerberg? Yes

BUT is is still very relevant, highlights some of the known issues, the difficult topics the Meta must navigate in and shows the background of how a brilliant person created a place where people from all over the world could connect. I had never seen the development of FB/Meta and Zuckerberg. I'm both impressed with what they have achieved and worried about the negative consequences.

This documentary made me think and my wife and I paused several times times to discuss the topics.

I definitely recommend watching and I would like to have a follow up. It already seems relevant.

I'll be blunt: I don't particularly like Zuckerberg, the person. Facebook used to be innovative over a decade ago but it's become very tired and shopworn. Given its aging customer base, I don't know how it survives beyond the next decade without becoming MySpace. Is the documentary balanced and fair? That's difficult to say. Probably. I know a good number of Meta employees who privately tell me that they do not understand Zuckerberg's strategy. I mean, the guy spent $26B chasing the metaverse and has literally nothing to show for it. The stock cratered. That should tell you something about his strategy. My opinion: When you have a big idea that comes to fruition, you tend to believe in your own infallibility a bit too much. Not all of Zuckerberg's ideas are good -- or constructive. This documentary has some interesting opinions. Zuckerberg gets a drubbing. But, what would you expect from a guy who essentially behaves like an android in public? Ultimately, Facebook has had some positive benefits, but it's also had a lot of negative costs; particularly amplifying political concerns in the interest of "engagement."

Honestly, haters WILL be haters. From the ominous music to the quick edits of statement clips stringing together a story of total BS.

Of course everyone hates super rich people, go ahead, have a moan.

Of course angry ex-employees who were fired for whatever reason are going to backlash (and make a stack of cash getting themselves into the media)...the world loves a good witch-hint and character trashing. Clearly Director Nick so-and-so has an axe to grind. Whatever trevor.

Facebook is brilliant. It connects my family and friends. It uses my data, fine, and its actually very helpful to me in my marketing career and helps people find good stuff.

This docu-drama is utter rubbish. In the words of Taylor: "Shake it off!"