Comments on: Facebook, the most cynical tech giant ever

By: daphnesylk

daphnesylk — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:21:46 +0000

I see lots of FB users promoting their businesses, selling their personal services, directing people to their websites. They pay nothing for this. Users are put in touch with things they didn’t know existed, get a laugh, find out something new. A lot of families and friends get to share stuff across the country that would be far more difficult without a FB style site. None of it costs anything except ignoring some ads along the right side of the page. Nobody much looks at that stuff. Or maybe they come across a product or service they are happy to find out about.
Zuckerberg and pals created a business out of the air, and Wall St. started waving zillions of bucks under his nose. Whether that was his intention or just dumb luck, who knows? People say they would walk away from that for ‘integrity,’ but what people say and what they do are seldom the same thing.

By: emm305

emm305 — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:07:56 +0000

I would like to send this to all my besotted friends who use Facebook, but this piece is so long, I know they would never read it.
How about some editing?

By: ThomasW

ThomasW — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:17:37 +0000

Apple & Google are Cinderella stories, FB is the ugly sister. People hope it might make a lot of money, but it will struggle to meet revenue targets 2 years on.

It’s highly oversold. Compared to Apple or Google, Zuckerberg is selling coal.

http://stratpark.com/business/facebook-i po-will-investors-make-a-loss/

By: Nullcorp

Nullcorp — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:18:48 +0000

From users to used! Well said. I was not aware of the bid to license my content, of all the creepy moves over the past few years, that might be the one that ends my active involvement in their “product”

By: erasmo7

erasmo7 — Tue, 29 May 2012 12:50:31 +0000

Interesting opinion piece. And the human weakness Facebook profits from is our need to be seen, acknowledged and liked. Through Facebook we believe we can gain social approval. Does it really connect us on a personal level? Perhaps Facebook just illustrates how disconnected people feel in their lives. Yes, it is a shame that somebody can get rich just by providing a platform where people can display how lacking they feel.

By: SergioR

SergioR — Tue, 29 May 2012 02:30:33 +0000

Incredibly well-written. Finally, an honest portrayal of a great service that is not a business.
Zuckerberg should step down. He lacks both the skills and the vision (recall that it was not even his idea).

By: John2244

John2244 — Mon, 28 May 2012 21:52:47 +0000

Article is mostly correct – even though a bit petty and historical. The truth is when I talk about amazon, ebay, zipcar, apple – I really believe they have amazing corporate vision and are out to change the world. I LOVE facebook and use it all the time – but its pretty obvious that the owners only have one thing in mind – money. Its a monopoly but most of us recognize that its not a top company so when google or another comes out with social media we give it a half hearted try – one day we will shift because we are all edging away anyway. I would never have the same feelings with apple or google.

By: ptiffany

ptiffany — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:44:59 +0000

Zuckers!

By: lhathaway

lhathaway — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:02:55 +0000

Great article. Yes, Z’berg is the typical techie: arrogant beyond belief and totally disdainful of humanity, all except his inner circle of believers/enablers. His not wanting Facebook to go public is more about his need to hold onto the idea he stole from someone else. He’s smart enough to realize he won’t ever get that chance again.

But then the harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all.

By: WeWereWallSt

WeWereWallSt — Mon, 28 May 2012 02:05:57 +0000

“I think I’ve grown and learned a lot.”

We love this post all the way through, but the quote above, by the guy who has effed plenty of people along the way says to us that he’s learned how to hide his stripes, that’s all. He learned not to IM the kinds of things kids IM, because it might be used in court in the future.

That’s all. He’s still effing society, and it’s society’s fault.