Facebook: The Entire ‘60 Minutes’ Segment
For those who missed it, here is the entire video of the piece CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired on Facebook last night, helmed by veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl.
It is not exactly the big wet kiss I was expecting the hot social-networking company would get, but it was also definitely not an ouch-that-hurts piece that could have been done.
For those who don’t know the tale, it hits all the high (and low) points of the Facebook saga, with a button-pushing efficiency that television does so well. Thus, a synopsis:
Web Wunderkind Mark Zuckerberg, who seems genetically unable to smile (unlike, say, his deeply charming sister). Harvard. Ratty hoodies and flip-flops. Mark makes a Facebook profile for Lesley (how much do we love that she blocked her boss Les Moonves?).
Next stop: Silicon Valley! Dropping out and venture funding. Toddler CEO (that one was coined by BoomTown). Crazy HQ with kooky-looking employees, one of whom you know was forced to ride a unicycle through the office by Lesley.
Big growth. Is Mark Google’s Larry and Sergey rolled into one? Inexplicably, ZERO mention of its bigger rival, MySpace, even once. Worth $15 billion?–an insane number Lesley does not question nearly enough.
Oops, Privacy! Oops, Beacon! BoomTown tsks tsks that stalkerish advertising idiocy and is asked about Mark’s qualifications as CEO (although no one cares what BoomTown thinks). Mark retorts: Hey, we need to make money. Lesley, so give the Wunderkind a break!
But here is the entire segment for your viewing enjoyment:
Comments
Zuckerberg and the Facebook PR department experienced an “opportunity lost” with this interview. What a great chance to make a good impression. Instead he and the company came off looking blah.
He looked like a guy whose dorm room experiement got out of hand and now he has no real clue of what he is doing…but is trying really hard to show the world he knows what he is doing.
Maybe I am wrong and he is brilliant and the whole “oh I sleep on a mattress on the floor” thing plays better with the rest of the world than it did with me. If your company is really worth 15 billion you should have a box spring under that mattress or you just look silly.
Posted by thom singer at January 14th, 2008 at 8:03 amKara,
I am slightly lost as to the issues you have with Facebook and its founder.
What has his age got to do with anything? How old were Bill Gates and Paul Allen when they started Microsoft? If one of your own children were the founders of Facebook would you be up on the internet speaking disparagingly about them? I think not!
He has been given a gift, and he is running with it, celebrate that fact. Yes he has made mistakes and will make them again, how else is he going to learn. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t in any way condone using people’s data without their express opinion.
Got to love your featured company though, Mint. All of my financial details held on some remote servers somewhere. Great!
As the mighty Albert Einstein once said, ‘Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds’.
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Posted by Uzo Andrew Madu at January 14th, 2008 at 8:47 amPeace & Love
Kara:
Once again, spot on commentary and reporting from Boomtown.
Mark Zuckerberg (and Facebook) still need better PR counsel, as my colleague opined tonight on The Betty Factor at http://www.thebettyfactor.com/.....v-that-is/.
Is it likely Facebook and Zuckerbook, I mean Zuckerberg, will be successful in spite of themselves and with or without better PR counsel? Probably, as $240 million in strategic investments have a way of doing that for a company, particularly when it’s also creating growing revenues from its 60+ million members.
Good luck, Mark. And keep up the good work, Kara.
Dave Politis
dpolitis@politis.com: email
Posted by David Politis at January 15th, 2008 at 1:25 amhttp://www.TheBettyFactor.com: blog
http://www.UtahTechWatch.com: blog
Thom:
I agree on the box spring issue. Mark will regret the lack of support when he is 40, decades from now!
Seriously, let us give credit where it is due: Mark has built an amazing product, and it would be a roller coaster at any age.
Posted by Kara Swisher at January 15th, 2008 at 3:39 amUzo:
Please see the interview and also the outtakes I also posted, where I explained my “Toddler CEO” moniker started as a joke.
Obviously, it has resonance, though. But Lesley Stahl was the one making more of his age than me. I just said be needed more support and that is not due to his age, but the explosive growth Facebook is seeing. Anyone would have trouble, especially someone with no experience.
And if one of my kids were the founder of Facebook, I would definitely have some serious questions as to why Microsoft was investing $240 million in a company led by a 2 or 5 year old!
But, look, making mistakes is one thing. Making them with someone’s data is another. This is not playing at business and not a learning experience for Mark–it is a business and he has responsibilities if he wants to be CEO.
Signed,
The Weak-Minded One
Posted by Kara Swisher at January 15th, 2008 at 3:45 amDavid:
I like your attitude. Again, I hope for the best for Facebook and praise it for it innovativeness and vision. I give it a harder time for its execution. I think that is fair.
Posted by Kara Swisher at January 15th, 2008 at 3:47 am