cover of episode Meta

Meta

2024/10/28
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Acquired

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Mark Zuckerberg's childhood passions for strategy games, programming, and classics laid the groundwork for Facebook. From creating ZuckNet for his family to developing the AI-powered music suggestion tool Synapse, these early experiences foreshadowed his future success.
  • Born in 1984 and raised in Dobbs Ferry, NY.
  • Developed early passions for strategy games (Civilization), programming (C++), and classics (Greek and Latin).
  • Created ZuckNet, a messaging system for his family and father's dental practice.
  • Developed Synapse, an AI music recommendation tool, which garnered interest from Microsoft and others.
  • Enrolled at Harvard University in 2002 and joined Alpha Epsilon Pi.

Shownotes Transcript

Meta is a company everyone knows (literally, everyone). But, somehow, it’s also a company that few people feel they actually understand. Their products are used by more humans than any other’s in history — almost half of the entire world’s population daily. But… what is Meta? Why do they do what they do? How do they do what they do? Ask ten people and you’ll likely get ten very different sets of answers.

Today, we dive deeper than we’ve ever gone trying to find Acquired’s answers to those questions. And after months of research and 6+ hours of incredible stories about how they (and really “they” being Mark himself) bet it all and win time and time again in the face of overwhelming odds, we arrive at our answers. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, AI, Oculus, Orion, it’s all here. Tune in for one of the greatest corporate stories of all time: Meta, a Mark Zuckerberg Production.

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‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.