How he was so clever to buy WhatsApp (he doesn’t mention the spyware Onavo that showed him which apps to buy by giving him confidential usage data, making acquisitions like shooting fish in a barrel).

Then the board gets into a conversation about what other companies or industries have navigated similar challenges, where they have to change a narrative that says that they’re a danger to society, extracting large profits, pushing all the negative externalities onto society and not giving back. People suggest various analogues that don’t seem to

“The idea that Facebook cares about people’s privacy is not believable anywhere.”

I’m struck by the impermanence of importance.

After this, Facebook invests heavily in campaigns and elections around the world. Sheryl directs Joel to hire teams in Asia and Latin America and Europe. They’ll coach politicians on how to target specific messages to specific sorts of voters, and they’ll sell them ads.

Facebook is an elite product, born in an elite college, fronted by elite Harvard grads who show up for other elite Harvard grads, who are decision makers in all sorts of places.

I know that a single fish can sell for millions of dollars. I also know that efforts to regulate and save the fishery are seriously failing, and the reason those fish command such high prices is because they are rare and at risk of extinction. It’s as if he’s saying the best thing about being rich is eating fresh, tender, endangered baby elephants

Facebook got them to agree to a bunch of concessions and then we built the data center in Iowa.

The Unite the Right Facebook page promoting the Charlottesville rally was up for a month before Facebook removed it, the day before the event.