Utilizing the Gene
Mark Zuckerberg’s drive is not money or power, but the desire to change the world – the same motivation that was shared by Jews from our forefather Abraham to Freud and Einstein. Facebook, the largest nation on earth, which he created, gives a chance and a soapbox to everyone
The drive to change, to leave a mark, to influence, is deep in our genes. It is unceasing, and has been for 3,800 years.
Marx tried to change the way the world views money; Freud changed our understanding of our motivations; Einstein explained to us that it was all relative. We sometimes manage, more frequently fail, but we always try.
And in our generation, Mark Zuckerberg. This young man changed the world. It is still too early to determine if it was for better or for worse, but he undoubtedly brought us into a new world.
One out of every seven people in the world is active on Facebook.
When the Internet came to the world, we believed that we had reached the edge.
Everyone can set up a website. You can reach every bit of information in the universe in a few seconds. There is no longer any need to memorize things. Everyone can see the world, and all with complete anonymity.
And then Zuckerberg came and changed everything. He proved that we were all wrong.
Internet is information. Facebook is relationships. Internet is anonymous. Facebook is identity. Internet disconnects us from the world. Facebook connects us to friends. Internet is a parallel reality.
Facebook is intertwined reality.Facebook is slowly turning into the largest nation on earth, whose only competitors are China and India. It surpassed the United States a while ago. Facebook equalizes the playing field.
Everyone can express themsevles. If they have something of value to say, people will listen.
Once upon a time the media was a one-way street.There was a television station and the station had managers. Whatever they decided we would see- we saw. Whatever they decided we would not see, we didn't see. The channel of information were monopolized - and lacking.
Today the situation is the exact opposite- there is a surplus of information. There are a surplus of channels for each person, and a lack of just one thing: human attention. There is a lot of noise and not much listening, and thus massive competition has emerged for the attention of each individual.
What motivates Mark Zuckerberg? Is it money? Certainly not. His lifestyle is simple and not opulent. He never went on a shopping spree for 20 yachts. The money does not motivate him.
Is it respect? In the Facebook headquarters, he sits in an open office space together with the rest of the employees, and not in a closed office. He speaks directly and personably. So it is also not about respect.
His drive is the desire to change the world, and he does not stop for an instant. Every few weeks he adds, changes, improves the giant world that is called Facebook.
I am not sure if this is for better or worse. When I see my nephews spending hours in front of a screen instead of breathing fresh air outside or playing soccer, I feel concerned.
But on the other hand, I can speak directly, every day, with hundreds of thousands of Israelis, without any intermediaries, and hear feedback - and a lot of criticism, without the intercession of my staffers.
Because we were born with the special gene of improving the world, the best advice that I could offer to any young person with this drive is - fulfill it. Create. Take a chance. Find groups of friends whom you trust, think about how you can change the world, and try it. Mark Zuckerberg is an American, but the network that he established give every young person everywhere in the world a chance for success, whether they are in Israel or America.
