Mark Zuckerberg took questions from Facebook users around the world on Tuesday in his first-ever Facebook Live Q&A session.
Part Facebook Live promotion and part PR effort to bring the company boss closer to the community he helped build, the Zuck fielded a wide range of questions during the 60-minute session, with some 100,000 users dropping by to see what he had to say.
There were a few surprises along the way, too, with comedy giant Jerry Seinfeld at one point joining the live-stream to probe Zuckerberg about his home life. But more on that later.
“There’s some pretty crazy brain research going on”
After predictably highlighting his passion for making the world a better place by connecting everyone on the planet (through Facebook, obviously) and bringing more opportunity to everyone, Zuckerberg moved on to the topic of virtual and augmented reality, an area in which the social networking giant is showing increasing interest.
At the current time Facebook is pushing its Oculus Rift VR headset and promoting 360-degree content on its site, but further down the road Zuckerberg believes you’ll “just be able to capture a thought, what you’re thinking or feeling in its kind of ideal and perfect form in your head, and be able to share that with the world in a format where they can get that,” adding, “There’s some pretty crazy brain research going on that suggests that we might be able to do this at some point.” However, he admitted the day when Facebook users transmit thoughts to friends is likely to be “decades down the line.” Which still sounds pretty near for such a feat.
Don’t worry, you’ll never have to pay for Facebook
Responding to rumors that users could one day be asked to pay for Facebook, the Zuck was adamant it’ll never turn it into a subscription service (it doesn’t need to – it’s making billions from ads). “It’s free, it always will be, it’s part of our mission to make it so we can build a global community so everyone can be a part of it … we’re not going to charge,” he said.
Clearly enjoying the event, Zuckerberg was happy to go with some of the more bizarre questions, among them, “Are the allegations true that you’re secretly a lizard?”
After hesitating – a response that made the answer that followed appear less convincing – the CEO said, “I’m going to have to go with no, I am not a lizard,” adding with a smile, “But keep the high-quality comments coming in.”
Talking about where he gets his inspiration in response to a question from an entrepreneur, the Zuck praised his team big-time before offering some advice: “If you want to build something great … you should ask yourself this question – how much am I learning from the people around me who I’m working with? Most of your learning is going to come from them … if you’re in an environment where you’re not learning as much as you think you should be … then think about changing something.”
Seinfeld
A little while later, the Facebook boss introduced Jerry Seinfeld (it starts at the the 43:40 mark if you want to jump straight to it) for a 15-minute chat that for many will have been the highlight of the session, with the comedian getting Zuckerberg to reveal a little about what he gets up to in his spare time.
Having pledged in January to run a mile a day, the Zuck said the training is going a little too well as he’s able to get up and effortlessly run a half-marathon, or even a marathon, if he wants. So, Mark being Mark, he’s now decided to train for a triathlon. He told Seinfeld that just last week he went to buy a bike, one with clips that secure your feet to the pedals. However, out for a ride with his dad, he came to a stop sign but forgot his feet were in the clips. The result? A tumble and a broken arm. “I think I need to ease into this triathlon thing,” Zuckerberg quipped.
