From a great story on Mark Zuckerberg in New York Magazine:
“‘Mark has done two things in his twenties,’ a colleague of Zuckerberg says. ‘He has built a global company, and he has grown up.’ The second one made the first possible. When early mistakes risked an employee mutiny, Zuckerberg knuckled down and learned how to lead.”
It covers founding the company, Sean Parker, other execs, the Instagram purchase, and more. I’ve got new respect for what Zuckerberg has accomplished after reading this.
Several years ago, when Yahoo or Microsoft or whomever was rumored to have offered a billion dollars to buy Facebook, I thought Zuckerberg was foolish and arrogant for not selling the company. I didn’t get how it could be a real business, ever worth more. Looks like I was wrong.
Of course, the narrative of the last week is that the IPO disappointed, with the stock steadily falling since its debut. But that’s only relevant if you want a quick win. The long-term view says that Facebook is here to stay, and that the company’s growth is a reason to celebrate. Not for the service or founders, but for the success of so many great developers and designers who are now part of the public company: Instagram, Gowalla, Push Pop Press, Sofa, and others who are working inside Facebook, trying to build something great.
