Facebook CEO Zuckerberg Admits Mistakes

This article I read recently sheds some light on the behind the scenes thought process at Facebook’s HQ. Facebook’s Chief Executive, Mark Zuckerberg, is no doubt one of the most successful .com entrepreneurs in the history of the internet. In class we have repeatedly discussed the shadier side of Facebook, such as its fine print stating that it owns anything a user uploads, or its controversial advertising scheme, Beacon, which displayed information on users shopping habits without any option to opt-out (initially). Zuckerberg recently revealed his thoughts regarding some of the failed features that the company tried to introduce. On Beacon, Zuckerberg stated "We probably got a little bit ahead of ourselves; we came across as knowing more than we really knew.” It’s refreshing to hear the CEO of a multi-billion dollar internet enterprise come clean with the failed attempt to implement what Zuckerberg, prior to Beacon’s launch, referred to as setting the standard for the advertising industry. He also discussed his thoughts on the inability to opt out of the system, "Almost all of the mistakes we made, we didn't give people enough control, we need to give people complete control over their information. The more control and the more granular the control, the more info people will share and the more we will be able to achieve our goals.” Zuckerberg’s ability to speak openly about his company’s missteps impressed me; to me it displays his resiliency and his capability to evolve his company according to the response of its users. These traits are no doubt essential to any .com enterprise in these days.