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This is no less than the third time I've seen reference to a Zuckerberg political run on HN, a theory I've not seen presented anywhere else but HN, what is this

by iamdave 10y ago

This is no less than the third time I've seen reference to a Zuckerberg political run on HN, a theory I've not seen presented anywhere else but HN, what is this based on and why should I take it seriously? Uninformed looking to get educated here so please don't take my terse inquiry for snark.

michaelchisari 10y ago
It's an idea that keeps getting floated around, and for Zuck's sake I hope it's not true. Just because one billionaire squeaked through doesn't mean it's open season, and it's certainly not an option for someone as uncharismatic as Mark Zuckerberg. If he wants to start small, that's one thing. City councilman, then maybe on to state senator for a few terms, then congress and we can see what kind of record he builds. But if he jumps right to some kind of bold political run, it's going to be embarrassing.
- ceejayoz 10y ago
  > Just because one billionaire squeaked through doesn't mean it's open season... I'm not so sure. There are much smarter and more likeable billionaires than Trump out there. > But if he jumps right to some kind of bold political run, it's going to be embarrassing. As Trump's finding out, embarrassing doesn't mean you don't get to be President.
  - michaelchisari 10y ago
    Trump won in large part because he was entertaining. Zuckerberg is not entertaining.
    - Gargoyle 10y ago
      I enjoy watching Zuck speak because he has interesting perspectives on things that interest me too. But I don't think he has the charisma for a general audience.
    - fareesh 10y ago
      I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who have started to take an interest in things like White House press briefings, rallies, nuances of the positions of the talking heads on TV and their various infamous quotes and scandals. Everything has a reality TV angle to it, and a lot of his fans are hooked.
underwater 10y ago
It wouldn't surprise me. He's a smart and highly motivated and seems genuinely dedicated to improving the world. However he doesn't come across as relatable. People don't trust him and he's not a great public speaker.
- ethbro 10y ago
  > However he doesn't come across as relatable. People don't trust him and he's not a great public speaker. Yeah, that didn't work out so well for the last person like that who tried to run for President.
- michaelmrose 10y ago
  Can you quantify how he is dedicated to improving the world?
whatusername 10y ago
Here's some speculation on bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-18/this-team-runs-mark-zuckerberg-s-facebook-page https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-18/this-team... "With all that in mind, it’s fair to wonder whether Zuckerberg wants to run for public office. He isn’t saying, but his online mix of serious business and dad jokes can’t help but feel a little political. For a point of comparison, check out Barack Obama’s social media accounts sometime."
bobsky 10y ago
This has been extensively reported in variety of media. Origin comes from this 2016 coverage [1]: In a Facebook proxy statement published by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, the company paved the way for Zuckerberg to one day take a "voluntary" leave from his post as CEO and serve "in a government position or office." Followed by his New Year Resolution [2] and state of affairs in the country, the public started pressing that narrative which Mark replied to [3] [1] http://fortune.com/2016/04/29/president-zuckerberg-facebook/ http://fortune.com/2016/04/29/president-zuckerberg-facebook/ [2] http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/8-photos-that-definitely-dont-show-mark-zuckerberg-running-for-president http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/8-photos-that-definit... [3] http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38744292 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38744292
ta_donk_gt 10y ago
In addition to the other responses here, at the beginning of the year he announced his personal challenge for 2017 was to meet and chat with people in every state. That seemed to get a lot of people talking about the possibility of a 2020 run.
shiado 10y ago
Whether or not Zuckerberg appears to be making a political run, it is clear that he certainly is politically involved. https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/15092 https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/15092

by iamdave 10y ago

michaelchisari 10y ago

It's an idea that keeps getting floated around, and for Zuck's sake I hope it's not true. Just because one billionaire squeaked through doesn't mean it's open season, and it's certainly not an option for someone as uncharismatic as Mark Zuckerberg. If he wants to start small, that's one thing. City councilman, then maybe on to state senator for a few terms, then congress and we can see what kind of record he builds. But if he jumps right to some kind of bold political run, it's going to be embarrassing.

ceejayoz 10y ago
> Just because one billionaire squeaked through doesn't mean it's open season... I'm not so sure. There are much smarter and more likeable billionaires than Trump out there. > But if he jumps right to some kind of bold political run, it's going to be embarrassing. As Trump's finding out, embarrassing doesn't mean you don't get to be President.
- michaelchisari 10y ago
  Trump won in large part because he was entertaining. Zuckerberg is not entertaining.
  - Gargoyle 10y ago
    I enjoy watching Zuck speak because he has interesting perspectives on things that interest me too. But I don't think he has the charisma for a general audience.
  - fareesh 10y ago
    I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who have started to take an interest in things like White House press briefings, rallies, nuances of the positions of the talking heads on TV and their various infamous quotes and scandals. Everything has a reality TV angle to it, and a lot of his fans are hooked.

underwater 10y ago

It wouldn't surprise me. He's a smart and highly motivated and seems genuinely dedicated to improving the world. However he doesn't come across as relatable. People don't trust him and he's not a great public speaker.

ethbro 10y ago
> However he doesn't come across as relatable. People don't trust him and he's not a great public speaker. Yeah, that didn't work out so well for the last person like that who tried to run for President.
michaelmrose 10y ago
Can you quantify how he is dedicated to improving the world?

whatusername 10y ago

Here's some speculation on bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-18/this-team-runs-mark-zuckerberg-s-facebook-page https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-18/this-team... "With all that in mind, it’s fair to wonder whether Zuckerberg wants to run for public office. He isn’t saying, but his online mix of serious business and dad jokes can’t help but feel a little political. For a point of comparison, check out Barack Obama’s social media accounts sometime."

bobsky 10y ago

This has been extensively reported in variety of media. Origin comes from this 2016 coverage [1]: In a Facebook proxy statement published by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, the company paved the way for Zuckerberg to one day take a "voluntary" leave from his post as CEO and serve "in a government position or office." Followed by his New Year Resolution [2] and state of affairs in the country, the public started pressing that narrative which Mark replied to [3] [1] http://fortune.com/2016/04/29/president-zuckerberg-facebook/ http://fortune.com/2016/04/29/president-zuckerberg-facebook/ [2] http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/8-photos-that-definitely-dont-show-mark-zuckerberg-running-for-president http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/8-photos-that-definit... [3] http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38744292 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38744292

ta_donk_gt 10y ago

In addition to the other responses here, at the beginning of the year he announced his personal challenge for 2017 was to meet and chat with people in every state. That seemed to get a lot of people talking about the possibility of a 2020 run.

shiado 10y ago

Whether or not Zuckerberg appears to be making a political run, it is clear that he certainly is politically involved. https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/15092 https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/15092