Summary:
Facebook continued to make moves in the cooperate world. Thousands upon thousands of new members were joining each day, it was crazy! The Winklevoss twins (tyler and cameron) were still pretty upset about the way things worked out with Mark. They were all the way in a different country, England to be exact, competing in a rowing race. They lost by about 2 seconds, which was extremely devastating. Then, to add insult to injury, someone asked them if they had a facebook account. Someone in ENGLAND asked if they had a facebook account, which was only open to selected colleges in the US... unbelievable! This reaaaaaally made tyler and cameron mad. That was the last straw for them, they were going to file a lawsuit. Justice had to be served.
Meanwhile, Eduardo was in New York still, completing his internship and finding investors, looking at possible VC's who wanted to be involved with Facebook. While Eduardo was keeping busy in New York, Mark and his roommates, including Sean Parker were having the time of their lives in California. They also had many offers coming at them from big companies, who were offfering a lot of money. Also, Sean was taking Mark under his wing in a way, taking him to all the coolest parties, meeting important people, the works. Eduardo pretty much wasn't in the picture anymore because, well let's face it, he was all the way across the country and the was no way he could be involved in every little decision they made. Speaking of decisions, Mark and Dustin had decided they weren't going to go back to Harvard for the next semester, they were going to take a semester off and work on the facebook, staying in California. On the other hand, there was NO way Eduardo was going to take time off, school meant everything to him. He was a senior, going to graduate in 5 months, it would make no sense for him to take time off to work on the facebook when he had been doing that the whole summer!
When Mark and Eduardo did get the chance to speak through quick phone calls, every time Eduardo would try to inform Mark about the offers he had received and the investments he was looking into, Mark always jumped in to talk about the awesome party he went to with Sean the other night. Eduardo was SICK of Sean. To him, Sean had nothing to do with the Facebook, he was just a HOUSE GUEST, that's it. It was Eduardo's money going into the account for the facebook. It was HIS money that was housing them in California while they went to parties every night. All his money was being wasted and to make it worse, he wasn't even being included, even though he owned 30% of Facebook! Eduardo wrote Mark a very stern letter, talking about his problems with the way things were working out. Mark seemed to sort of brush the letter off, telling Eduardo that he would be more included if he wasn't all the way in New York, if he stayed out in California for a while. Obviously, Mark didn't get the picture, so Eduardo had to take drastic measures. He went straight to the bank and froze the account for the facebook, he had to show them he meant business.
Because Eduardo had financially cut them off, Mark was able to save up his own money to put into the account, which would hold them over only for a short amount of time, because as you know facebook was expanding rapidly. Eventually, Mark had cut Eduardo out of the company completely. Eduardo was so devastated, felt so betrayed that he decided he was going to file a law suit against Mark, because he took away his ownership. Facebook got up to 1,000,000 members within 10 months, which called for a celebration. They had a little party, hosted by Sean of course and there was lots of drinking, smoking and other bad things. Unexpectedly, the cops showed up and Sean was arrested, for reasons unaccounted for. After that, Sean was also cut from the facebook entirely, because frankly his reputation and unpredictable behavior wasn't a good look for making business deals. In the end, to mark, facebook wasn't about friendship, it was never about friends, it was all about business. who knows if he was really friends with Eduardo, maybe he just used him as a sort of financial supplier. It was all about business and at the end of the day, Mark was CEO, he could do whatever he wanted.
Quote: "whatever the reason, he'd walked right up to the Winklevoss twin, and had held out his hand. As the stunned kid had stared at him, Eduardo had let the words come spilling out: 'I'm sorry. He screwed me like he screwed you guys'. And without another word, he had turned-and disappeared back onto the dance floor" (Mezrich 252).
Reaction: When i read this quote, and even before i read it, i felt really bad for Eduardo. I could tell in a way he was jealous of Mark and Sean's sudden friendship and felt like Sean was taking his place. So when he tried to be assertive and make Mark understand what he's trying to say, he ends up getting cut out of Facebook entirely. Even though, he was the one who invested all the money into it, and he was with Mark back when he was in his dorm room, spending hours typing up codes. He and Mark started it together, although it was Mark's idea and work. I could understand how betrayed he must of felt, realizing that theres a chance Mark was never really his friend at all. And when he walks up the his "enemies" and apologizing, It then seems as though Mark was the bad guy all along, not Sean nor Tyler, Cameron, and Divya. They all felt "screwed over" by Mark, but there was nothing they could do about it because Facebook was Mark's creation, he owned it and he was going to do whatever it takes to make it successful.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Accidental Billionaires (pages 150-200)
Summary: the year is ending and Eduardo is offered an internship in New York and Mark decides to stay in California for the summer with Dustin and Chris. Eduardo wasn't comfortable with them being seperated, because of course there would be a lot of people like Sean Parker wanted to get a piece of their creation; it just didn't seem like a good idea. Mark had already made up his mind, he was going to California for the summer.
With Facebook thousands of members each day, Mark, Dustin, and Chris needed more help with the programming so they decided to look for interns. A bunch of computer geeks gathered in the basement classroom to compete in a timed race to do some sort of coding, so Mark could get a good idea of their programming skills.
Meanwhile. Tyler, Divya, and Cameron were getting ready to launch their website, which the named changed to ConnectU. After two years of working on the site, no thanks to Mark Zuckerburg, it was finally ready to launch. They were still upset about all the hype Mark was getting for a web site that he practically "stole" the layout of from their own web site, but they were trying to enjoy this moment.
It turns out that the boys had moved in right next door to Sean's girlfriend's parent's house, in which he was staying at. He expressed to them that after a couple days, he was no longer going to be able to live there anymore and after that he would be homeless. It was like fate had made everything fall into place. Sean ended up staying with the boys and he would be able to help them with facebook and get it advertised out in California, maybe it'd get popular there too. since eduardo wasnt with them in California, he was pretty much out of the picture for the time being, and since he was the once paying for everything and attending meetings in NYC about facebook, that could be a problem.
Quote: "Eduardo might try to hang on- but he was already showing that he didn't have what it took. Poor kid, Sean thought to himself. What happens when the guy standing next to you catches a lightening bolt? Does it carry you up to the stratosphere along with him? Or do you simply get charred while trying to hold on?" (Mezrich 172).
Reaction: I absolutely LOVE this quote. Not only is this just a book about this history of facebook, it also uses a lot of literary devices. I love the idea of a guy (Mark) getting hit by a lightening bulb- a once in a lifetime chance and very very unlikely (Facebook becoming an overnight sensation), and someone else (Eduardo) trying to hold on and make it to the top with him, or get "charred" on the way up, meaning getting left behind while Mark rises to success. I think that this quote might be foreshadowing what is actually going to happen and it also creates suspense. it makes you wonder how this all is going to work out, and if Sean might be taking Eduardo's place, and what Seans true intentions are! This is definitely leading up the the climax :)
With Facebook thousands of members each day, Mark, Dustin, and Chris needed more help with the programming so they decided to look for interns. A bunch of computer geeks gathered in the basement classroom to compete in a timed race to do some sort of coding, so Mark could get a good idea of their programming skills.
Meanwhile. Tyler, Divya, and Cameron were getting ready to launch their website, which the named changed to ConnectU. After two years of working on the site, no thanks to Mark Zuckerburg, it was finally ready to launch. They were still upset about all the hype Mark was getting for a web site that he practically "stole" the layout of from their own web site, but they were trying to enjoy this moment.
It turns out that the boys had moved in right next door to Sean's girlfriend's parent's house, in which he was staying at. He expressed to them that after a couple days, he was no longer going to be able to live there anymore and after that he would be homeless. It was like fate had made everything fall into place. Sean ended up staying with the boys and he would be able to help them with facebook and get it advertised out in California, maybe it'd get popular there too. since eduardo wasnt with them in California, he was pretty much out of the picture for the time being, and since he was the once paying for everything and attending meetings in NYC about facebook, that could be a problem.
Quote: "Eduardo might try to hang on- but he was already showing that he didn't have what it took. Poor kid, Sean thought to himself. What happens when the guy standing next to you catches a lightening bolt? Does it carry you up to the stratosphere along with him? Or do you simply get charred while trying to hold on?" (Mezrich 172).
Reaction: I absolutely LOVE this quote. Not only is this just a book about this history of facebook, it also uses a lot of literary devices. I love the idea of a guy (Mark) getting hit by a lightening bulb- a once in a lifetime chance and very very unlikely (Facebook becoming an overnight sensation), and someone else (Eduardo) trying to hold on and make it to the top with him, or get "charred" on the way up, meaning getting left behind while Mark rises to success. I think that this quote might be foreshadowing what is actually going to happen and it also creates suspense. it makes you wonder how this all is going to work out, and if Sean might be taking Eduardo's place, and what Seans true intentions are! This is definitely leading up the the climax :)
The Accidental Billionaires (pages 100-150)
Summary: Tyler and Cameron were working out on the rowing machines when Divya came up to them, showing them the latest issue of Harvard's Crimson newspaper. It was talking about the overnight sensation, thefacebook.com created by Mark! As Divya continued to read the paper aloud, Tyler grew more and more upset. This whole "facebook" site was definitely gaining popularity and the similarities between their Harvard Connection site that was yet to be running and "thefacebook.com" seemed more than coincidental. "theft" is the word tyler used. Mark stole their idea! In the Crimson, he bragged that he doesn't know why it took Harvard so long to make a site like facebook because he did it in a week. Mind you, Mark put off programming The Harvard Connection for Divya, Tyler, and Cameron for 2 months, saying he was busy with school and other projects, but to Tyler, that was all a lie. He had led them on for 2 months just so steal their ideas and create his own website. They felt like this was completely unfair, but there was no contract, no paperwork or anything that prove Mark had used their ideas for his website or that he even did work for them at all. Tyler decided to call his dad, a very powerful businessman, and tell him everything that happened.
Tyler, Divya, and Cameron wrote a letter to Mark telling him how they felt about him launching "thefacebook.com" while he was supposed to be working for their site and that the sites were very similar. Mark responded with a letter explaining that he was initially intrigued by their project, and after their first meeting, he began working on Thefacebook, using none of the same code of The Harvard Connection. Mark and Eduardo decided that Mark's roommates Dustin and Chris could also help with the site, seeing as how they needed all the help they could get.
Tyler, Cameron, and Divya were so upset by Mark's response that they decided to take things to the next level. They met with the president of Harvard, hoping he would make Mark pay some type of consequences. But, to their surprise, he explained that the situation had nothing to do with Harvard itself, that it was a more personal problem that they needed to work out amongst themselves and that there was nothing they could accuse Mark of because he hadn't violated any contract.
The story then switches over to Sean Parker, a bad-boy computer genius known for founding famous sites like Napster and Plaxo that made tons of money. He stumbled across thefacebook.com and he instantly knew that this website was going to be BIG. That was just the kind of project he needed to take it to a higher level. He ended up meeting up with Mark, Eduardo, and Eduardo's girlfriend Kelly. Mark and Sean talked the whole time, as mark was completely fascinated by Sean, he was like God to him. Eduardo had a shady feeling about Sean, even calling him a "snake oil salesman".
Quote: "Eduardo had a feeling- Sean Parker couldn't possibly have been the only one who'd taken notice of their little Web site. It only a matter of time before deep pockets came calling, pockets that could afford a bit more than a dinner at a fancy New York restaurant" (Mezrich 150).
Reaction: Although I already know that Facebook has become a phenomenon, I can see how quickly it gained its popularity. I personally dont think that Mark stole ideas from the Harvard Connection because 1.) it hadn't even launched yet 2.) Mark hadn't even done any work on their site at all, all he did was look it over. He actually lost interest in it quickly 3) The harvard connection was supposed to be like a dating site for students at harvard, whereas facebook was just a place to make friends of people that attend harvard and, later on people at other colleges. I think Sean parker might be trying to weasel them out of their creation in a way, because all he's interested in is making money, and he might try to take ownership of the site and be taking advantage of Mark, because he looks up to him.
Tyler, Divya, and Cameron wrote a letter to Mark telling him how they felt about him launching "thefacebook.com" while he was supposed to be working for their site and that the sites were very similar. Mark responded with a letter explaining that he was initially intrigued by their project, and after their first meeting, he began working on Thefacebook, using none of the same code of The Harvard Connection. Mark and Eduardo decided that Mark's roommates Dustin and Chris could also help with the site, seeing as how they needed all the help they could get.
Tyler, Cameron, and Divya were so upset by Mark's response that they decided to take things to the next level. They met with the president of Harvard, hoping he would make Mark pay some type of consequences. But, to their surprise, he explained that the situation had nothing to do with Harvard itself, that it was a more personal problem that they needed to work out amongst themselves and that there was nothing they could accuse Mark of because he hadn't violated any contract.
The story then switches over to Sean Parker, a bad-boy computer genius known for founding famous sites like Napster and Plaxo that made tons of money. He stumbled across thefacebook.com and he instantly knew that this website was going to be BIG. That was just the kind of project he needed to take it to a higher level. He ended up meeting up with Mark, Eduardo, and Eduardo's girlfriend Kelly. Mark and Sean talked the whole time, as mark was completely fascinated by Sean, he was like God to him. Eduardo had a shady feeling about Sean, even calling him a "snake oil salesman".
Quote: "Eduardo had a feeling- Sean Parker couldn't possibly have been the only one who'd taken notice of their little Web site. It only a matter of time before deep pockets came calling, pockets that could afford a bit more than a dinner at a fancy New York restaurant" (Mezrich 150).
Reaction: Although I already know that Facebook has become a phenomenon, I can see how quickly it gained its popularity. I personally dont think that Mark stole ideas from the Harvard Connection because 1.) it hadn't even launched yet 2.) Mark hadn't even done any work on their site at all, all he did was look it over. He actually lost interest in it quickly 3) The harvard connection was supposed to be like a dating site for students at harvard, whereas facebook was just a place to make friends of people that attend harvard and, later on people at other colleges. I think Sean parker might be trying to weasel them out of their creation in a way, because all he's interested in is making money, and he might try to take ownership of the site and be taking advantage of Mark, because he looks up to him.
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