Zuckerberg's now-famous quote about The Facebook's early users being dumbfucks for "trusting" him suggests he was an asshole from day one. I don't agree. There

Zuckerberg's now-famous quote about The Facebook's early users being dumbfucks for "trusting" him suggests he was an asshole from day one. I don't agree. There are many things that comment might have been. For example, it could have been mock-cynical humour. The truth is we don't know and it's impossible to tell. What it undeniably is, though, is convenient for anyone who'd like some "evidence" to go with their pre-existing judgment. I'm not that interested in Facebook and have never paid much attention to Zuckerberg, but after seeing the movie I was curious and read a few things. They confirmed my pre-existing judgment, which is that he's nothing like the nasty Aspergerite of the movie. Also, a lot of people I respect feel protective towards him and stand up for him. That indicates something. So why, I wonder, do so many others hate him? Even if he has done every single bad thing that's been reported (obviously an upper bound on grounds for hate) the intensity of emotion people have about this guy still seems excessive. Well, there's a simple explanation at hand: he's the youngest self-made billionaire ever. Anyone in that position would be widely hated. It's just easier for people to cope with his massive success if they can add the idea that he's an asshole -- these are two mental molecules that bond into a very stable compound -- because now the brain can say, "I may not be the youngest billionaire in the world, but at least I'm not an asshole". Frankly, when we find ourselves feeling angry in this way, it's time to look in a mirror. Oh and one more thing about the zingers: that script seemed to me to have been optimized for how many smug one-liners could be crammed into it, with no concern for how people actually think or talk. This is good writing? It's writing designed to get people to say "what good writing". I'm surprised that so many critics and smart people fall for this; it's the intellectual equivalent of mistaking ostentatious glitz for taste. To me, Sorkin and Mezrich are the real assholes of this story.