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IIRC he built a million dollar product while still in hs. "Luck favors the prepared mind." I see an inordinate amount of vitriol directed at him online. I assu

IIRC he built a million dollar product while still in hs. "Luck favors the prepared mind." I see an inordinate amount of vitriol directed at him online. I assume it's mostly jealousy. He built a monster product that in hindsight seems very obvious, and you didn't.

wakeupthedawn 17y ago
There's definitely a lot of jealously, particularly among the wantrepreneurs that frequent this site. Why don't you go out and try to build your own thing rather than spend so much time trying to nitpick at the foibles of successful people and feed off karma points as a sense of validation for your valueless comments? This is one of my favorite quotes of all time: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt
- jawn 17y ago
  Oh please. The guy built a billion dollar business good for him. However, that's not a reason to deify the guy. He is just a man with failings and idiosyncrasies like you or I. He should not be treated like a a deity who came down from on high to hand us social networking.
bonsaitree 17y ago
IMO, the bulk of the vitriol comes from two issues (not that I think much of it is sound): - Multiple claims of outright dishonest behavior and undue credit-taking entitlement from his co-founders (even prior to the lawsuits) - His extremely privileged background. Given his family's political connections, wealth, ivy-league legacy, and prep-school pedigree, he risked very little (compared to most entrepreneurs) when giving a pre-undergrad start-up a go.
- pw0ncakes 17y ago
  I'm not impressed by Mark, but I don't see a good reason to hate him, especially regarding the second, which is not at all his fault.
  - bonsaitree 17y ago
    Exactly. It's the silver-spoon opportunity cost fallacy over which he has ZERO control. It's irrational and wrong, but sadly makes for more "press" and "drama". A prime example is the plethora of rich-kid "reality" t.v. shows which leverage those atavistic reactions it to the hilt.

wakeupthedawn 17y ago

There's definitely a lot of jealously, particularly among the wantrepreneurs that frequent this site. Why don't you go out and try to build your own thing rather than spend so much time trying to nitpick at the foibles of successful people and feed off karma points as a sense of validation for your valueless comments? This is one of my favorite quotes of all time: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt

jawn 17y ago
Oh please. The guy built a billion dollar business good for him. However, that's not a reason to deify the guy. He is just a man with failings and idiosyncrasies like you or I. He should not be treated like a a deity who came down from on high to hand us social networking.

bonsaitree 17y ago

IMO, the bulk of the vitriol comes from two issues (not that I think much of it is sound): - Multiple claims of outright dishonest behavior and undue credit-taking entitlement from his co-founders (even prior to the lawsuits) - His extremely privileged background. Given his family's political connections, wealth, ivy-league legacy, and prep-school pedigree, he risked very little (compared to most entrepreneurs) when giving a pre-undergrad start-up a go.

pw0ncakes 17y ago
I'm not impressed by Mark, but I don't see a good reason to hate him, especially regarding the second, which is not at all his fault.
- bonsaitree 17y ago
  Exactly. It's the silver-spoon opportunity cost fallacy over which he has ZERO control. It's irrational and wrong, but sadly makes for more "press" and "drama". A prime example is the plethora of rich-kid "reality" t.v. shows which leverage those atavistic reactions it to the hilt.