Bizarre Mark Zuckerberg interview sparks outrage over his attempt to be ‘normal’
Mark Zuckerberg’s “being human” in a recent interview clip sparked a flood of passionate online responses.
The 40-year-old social media mogul spoke with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang in July. The outlet shared a bonus segment of an outdoorsy Zuckerberg on Thursday.
But many saw the interview as a strange attempt by the notably robotic billionaire to appear more relatable, down-to-earth and generally “normal.”
“This is bait, right? You can’t talk about humanity with something that isn’t human,” some wrote under the YouTube post.
Right up until the title of the video – Mark Zuckerberg on Life, History and Being Human – viewers were convinced that this was some kind of ploy to influence public perception of him.
“The title made me laugh,” one person commented. “Human…..Zuckerberg human?”
Someone agreed: “What does he know about being human?”
At Zuckerberg’s $59 million Lake Tahoe complex, he chatted with Chang about his family, parenting experiences and hobbies — even taking the journalist lake surfing with his wife Priscilla Chan, 39.
Mark Zuckerberg spoke about “being human” with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang in July
Zuckerberg showed off his lake surfing skills in Lake Tahoe and tried to prove his humanism, as many commentators speculated
The Meta CEO was able to catch a can while surfing with Chang and his wife Priscilla Chan
“If there’s one place people can go to escape technology, it’s right in the middle of Lake Tahoe. But this is the setting in which Zuckerberg shows how oblivious he is to most of humanity.” SFGoes columnist Julie Brown Davis wrote.
Zuckerberg Chang and Chan sat on a boat in the lake as the businessman talked about braiding his child’s hair. He added that his third child’s first word was ‘brr’ – the sound a bear makes.
As the interview continued, Chang asked if Zuckerberg’s lake house was an escape from his fast-paced life in Palo Alto, California.
Meta’s CEO responded, “I don’t know, I like being in Palo Alto and beyond. But it’s just fun to spend time here all summer long and take the kids out on the lake and teach them different sports.”
Following his answer, Chang asked whether Zuckerberg was “embracing his billionaire era” with his properties in Lake Tahoe and Hawaii, as well as his yacht.
Zuckerberg tried to remain modest in his answer and did not address the monetary aspect of the question.
He explained that his Kauai property is primarily used for ranching and described the “doomsday” bunker in the basement there as a “little shelter” after Chang inquired about it.
“I think it’s been blown way out of proportion, like the whole ranch is some kind of doomsday bunker, which is not only not true,” Zuckerberg clarified in passing.
Zuckerberg told Chang about his family, parenting experiences and hobbies
One commenter responded: “The beginning of him trying to explain his apocalypse bunker was very tense.”
“Why don’t you just jump into the METAVERSE, it’s safer,” someone added humorously.
He spoke about his love of history – especially the Roman Empire – and his support for AI software.
Zuckerberg revealed that he has a pretty good “life balance,” which allows him to enjoy his life outside of work, giving the audience a glimpse into his childhood.
He told Chang, “My parents emphasized the importance of doing more than just studying academically. Like they wanted us to do sports – I mean, I used to fence quite competitively – when I was younger.
‘I want our children to be like that too, we teach them surfing, jiu-jitsu and martial arts.’
On the lake, Chang Chan, who leads the philanthropic Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, started asking how AI fits in with science.
After the short academic talk, the trio jumped into the water to start surfing on the lake – when a boat drags a surfboard through the lake.
Chang went first and struggled to stand on the board as Zuckerberg and Chan cheered her on.
Zuckerberg, Chang and Chan took off on a boat to go surfing in the lake. The billionaire said it is important to have hobbies outside of academia
The “bonus clip” came from an interview Chang conducted last summer that gave a glimpse into the lives of Zuckerberg and Chan
Zuckerberg followed her, gliding effortlessly over the boat-made waves. At one point someone threw him a can which he caught with both hands.
She’s referring to a video circulating the internet of Zuckerberg surfing Lake in a tuxedo while drinking from a can and waving an American flag – a bizarre scene that left many wondering if it was real or not.
“I’m here to say, he’s human and he really did it,” Chang said.
The final part of the nearly ten-minute segment features a more serious discussion about technology.
Chang asked, “Do you think technology has changed the essence of what it means to be human?”
Zuckerberg said: “It gives us the freedom to be more creative and focus more on living our values.”
The interview ended after Chang giggling and handing Zuckerberg a large bottle of sunscreen.
She was probably joking about a viral photo of Zuckerberg with his face covered in sunscreen.
Swarms of viewers have the same idea in mind: “He has no idea what ‘being human’ actually is.”
Zuckerberg has been repeatedly criticized for his seemingly strange and robotic tendencies
Zuckerberg’s lavish $59 million complex is located near Lake Tahoe
‘He’s not human. He’s an alien,” said another.
One commenter described this video as a “PR campaign; for Zuckerberg to prove his humanism.
“He loaded up on human emotion for this interview,” one joked.
Despite being the victims of several jokes and receiving backlash, a few Zuckerberg fans enjoyed learning a little more about him.
“Thank you, Mark, for doing this. I’m glad people like you are communicating with the public through interviews like this,” one user said.
“He’s surprisingly down to earth and normal,” another added.
One user even praised Zuckerberg’s character: “Great guy, enjoys life, nature, technology and interested in history.”