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Facebook and mark zuckerberg

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  1. #1

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    Facebook and mark zuckerberg

    I saw the Facebook movie yesterday, and I was discussing with my girlfriend whether Mark Zuckerberg is really at fault when stealing the idea, as shown in the movie. We decided, "not really".

    I mean, suppose I have an idea, and discuss it with you, but don't do anything about it. You go on and develop my idea into a product that you sell to others. Do you have to compensate me? If so, a lot of businessmen would have to compensate others. Most products (I would say 99.99%) are copied from others in one way or another. i.e. someone comes up with a new product (e.g. a watch), and other copy the essential idea, change the design, and sell it.

    Although I agree that if I paid you to do something, and you did this but lauched the product yourself, then you might be acting illegally. Though in the movie it said that Zuckerberg didn't use any code of the other folks. He wrote them all himself.

    So, what do you think? Is Zuckerberg in the wrong or not?


  2. #2

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    It's all about the execution of
    an idea. Not the idea itself
    he executed.


  3. #3

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    Remember Hollywood are making the movie so it' not really based on facts! It would probably been very boring if so.

    Having not too much knowledge of what was outlined in court and only on media reports about the case the twins got $60-$80 million or something as part of the verdict. It wasn't settled out of court so in fact to me I would say there was some truth in the fact that he did use, make use of, or even take some ideas. Anyway that's my uninformed thoughts on it.

    But the last action for $600 million was thrown out of court just recently.

    Anyway a half-baked idea is OK as long as it's in the oven! If you have an idea and don't use it then it's worthless. Even if someone gives you some help it can always come back to you when you least expect it and usually when you have made a bucket load from it!


  4. #4

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    I wasn't really debating the movie, which I thought was ok, but not more. And of course it doesn't really reflect reality, like all Hollywood movies.

    The fact that the twins got 60-80 million doesn't really say anything about whether Zuckerberg is in the wrong. Of course if one makes 13 billion, and someone said 'he stole our idea' they are likely to be looked in a favourable light by the judge/jury. Anyway 60 million is peanuts for Zuckerberg. It would be a different thing if someone makes 2000 bucks out of stealing my idea. Nobody would give me any money for it.

    Anyway, as randy said: it's about the execution, not the idea. I can have an idea: "invent a tool that you can put on your shoes and produces electricity as you walk". It doesn't mean I should receive money if someone comes up with the tool itself. Anybody can have wonderful ideas, but the execution is what is important.


  5. #5

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    He is still an arse.


  6. #6

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    Read the other book, called "The Facebook Effect" for what most consider to be a more balanced version of the history of Facebook. The movie was quite over the top when you hear the somewhat more boring real story.


  7. #7

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    So you think the Judge got it wrong? Or was it Facebook got off easy?

    Actually, I got it wrong. It was settled out of court. Probably, if the company is worth $50 billion you would think that the Twins got hard done by.

    In fact the value of the shares that the twins got are worth nearly $200 million, but that's beside the point.


  8. #8

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    i believe that he screwed ( not phyisically) his best mate, so apparently not to be trusted


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by bookblogger:
    He is still an arse.
    Yes, a $13 billion arse! That's an arse I would like to have! and not in a sexual way.

  10. #10

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    In the movie he actually came across like a bit of a stupid person, and a big child. So I don't think the movie was very good. Surely he must be very smart not only in coding, but also in keeping his money, with all the people who likely tried to screw him.

    So apparently his (only?) friend wasn't as smart as he was, since he got screwed. Anyway the friend invested $1000 in the venture, and got 1.5 billion out of it? Not such a bad investment! And what did he do? According to the movie he didn't actually do anything, eccept come up with $1000.

    Well, I don't know if the judge got it wrong, but it was an out of court settlement, so the judge didn't decide anything. Basically the twins made 200(?) millions out of an idea. That's probably the most expensive idea in the history of ideas. OK, the idea worked just fine, but you still needed someone to come up with how to write the coding. The twins weren't able to. He was.

    What about this for an idea: make a battery that is 1/100 as expensive and keeps 100 times more energy than existing ones, in 1/100 the space. It's a multi-billion dollar idea, and it's mine. I am unable to come up with the tool. So you think that anybody who comes up with such a battery has to pay me 50% of their profits?

    Last edited by jacky_se; 20-06-2011 at 08:25 PM.

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