5 ms·

Agree, but using the word "genius" is still a bit extreme, which is what I think incited that reaction.

• whereareyou 16y ago
  Mark Zuckerberg is a genius.
  • tjogin 16y ago
    Sure. But not because of his supposed larger-than-life PHP skillz.
  • Tichy 16y ago
    So genius is defined by success?
    • JanezStupar 16y ago
      Well - usually this is the case. You see - society indeed tends to call successful people geniuses. The others get to be called "autistic savants". /sarcasm Some say that Edison was not a genius, and that Ford was not a genius, etc... Myself - I'm chock full sick of "geniuses" who would of made it if they would of made it. Thus I'd be way more inclined to root for the Zuck than for the mass of people that claim that he fracked them over. Rooting for the underdog might be "noble". But lets face it - most of the underdogs don't deserve to win.
      • Tichy 16y ago
        We agree that genius !=> success, but I don't think success => genius holds, either. Not everybody who is successful is a genius. Unless we allow some inflation of the use of the word. Known genii (?) include Einstein, Shakespeare, Bach, Mozart, Jimi Hendrix...
        • mikebike 16y ago
          What do you think P[genius|success]/P[genius] is? (i.e., how much more likely do you think it is that someone is a genius given that you know they are a success?)
        • JanezStupar 16y ago
          I didn't say that success is sufficient precondition to be perceived as genius. What I tried to imply was that success is necessary precondition to be pronounced as one (by society).
      • loewenskind 16y ago
        Great to know. If you have any good ideas let me know so I can steal them, give you what the idea makes in a month and you can root for me.
    • shahin 16y ago
      Well, not defined but I would say it is a pretty good indication.
      • Tichy 16y ago
        Or it is just random chance. Out of 1 million people trying different things, a few are bound to be successful. At least for stock trading that is assumed to be true.
    • qntm 16y ago
      Yes. The distance between madness and genius is measured in success. Okay, that's a quote from a Bond movie, but still.
      • Tichy 16y ago
        What is a mad genius, then?
  • slantyyz 16y ago
    Can someone vouch for this by showing us the results of Zuck's IQ test? Is he in Mensa? Otherwise I would just say that Zuckerberg is very smart and a shrewd businessperson.
• cb33 16y ago
  As someone said on another story about Zuckerberg, if a person can go from $0 to having a net worth of over $6.9 billion then they are most definitely a genius.
  • lotusleaf1987 16y ago
    Wealth does not imply intelligence. Some people are at the right place at the right time. People who win the lottery aren't usually geniuses. I'm not saying intelligence didn't help Zuckerberg, I just disagree that wealth=intelligence. There are plenty of poor geniuses out there, like Grigori Perelman who solved the topological conundrum.
    • cb33 16y ago
      Comparing winning the lottery to creating a social phenomenon on the scale of Facebook is pretty ridiculous. I'm not sure why people are so against giving this guy his due credit, but I find it very discomforting as an aspiring entrepreneur. I can see how some people could not enjoy Zuckerberg's personality, but that should be separated from what he has created. "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
      • lotusleaf1987 16y ago
        All I am pointing out is that wealth does not equate intelligence. There are many many intelligent people who do not end up rich. I didn't say Zuck isn't intelligent, I just think that it's only one piece to the puzzle--timing being another crucial aspect, and yes luck in the sense that FB took off virally. I didn't bring up his personality at all so I don't know what you're responding to. Look at Tesla, he died poor, in debt, and not very well respected. Only now is Tesla regarded as the genius that he was. Neither, Einstein or Edison died wealthy.There are many more examples (Socrates, Oscar Wilde, John Milton) I can go on if needed. Not to mention all the unintelligent wealthy people: Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, etc.
      • loewenskind 16y ago
        Probably the reason people are against "giving this guy his due credit" is because he seems to have screwed over and betrayed several people to get what he wants. If you don't do that then you wont run into the "problems" [1] he's having. [1] I say "problems" because it's irrelevant. I'm sure he's crying his way to the bank because of all the hate he gets.