Is Mark Zuckerberg gearing up for a future presidential run?The king of Facebook has left a series of hints that may suggest he is ready to enter the political arena.
As Nick Bilton wrote for Vanity Fair, Zuckerberg has been described as someone who "wants to be emperor" by those that have known him well.
Zuckerberg recently started his "personal challenge for 2017," which is focused on meeting individuals in every state. Just last week Zuckerberg visited a Ford factory in Michigan and made an unexpected visit to Ohio where he was hosted by a family of Democrats that voted for Donald Trump, according to the Guardian. A few days later Zuckerberg was on the move to Indiana where he met with members of a fire department in Elkhart, and then he finished his trip in Wisconsin. He said he needs to visit about 30 states to complete the challenge by the end of the year.
David Plouffe, who served as campaign manager for Barack Obama, "joined the philanthropic Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, to lead policy and advocacy. Other politicians from both parties have also joined the organization," according to Vanity Fair.
Zuckerberg also recently backtracked on his stance as an atheist. “I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important," Zuckerberg said. Of course, it's quite difficult for someone to run for president and not believe in a God.
The Guardian also reports:
Others say this certainly is a political campaign – just not for elected office. From fake news to the way it moderates suspect content, Facebook has faced hefty criticism recently. Some pundits have suggested the recent moves are more about restoring public trust in Facebook. “Zuckerberg’s manifesto suggests a far more significant effort by Facebook to wage a campaign for the public’s trust,” wrote Kathleen Chaykowski in Forbes. “Facebook can’t survive without users’ satisfaction and attention.”
A 2012 profile on Zuckerberg noted that his favorite video game as a child was "Civilization," a game where the user creates and grows his empire through various eras. He also enjoys board games like Risk, and loves to watch HBO's "Game of Thrones," which is centered on the politics of obtaining the most coveted spectacles in the realm — the throne and the crown.
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