SUMMARY
Mark's sophomore year was ending and he and Eduardo needed to figure out what they were going to do for the summer. Eduardo got accepted to an internship in New York and Mark was not only concentrating on thefacebook, but also a new software. Mark brought up him going to Silicon Valley to continue working out there and with that Eduardo did not feel as bad leaving for New York. By May of 2004, Divya, Tyler and Cameron somehow launched ConnectU and they were waiting to see if this social network would take off like thefacebook had. Back in California, coincidentally, Mark and his team of programmers were living on the same street as Sean Parker. He took this as a sign, and wedged his way into becoming apart of thefacebook. He was suppose to be only staying as a house guest but he continued to set Mark up on business meeting without Eduardo, he even began to question Eduardo's dedication to the site. While he was doubting Eduardo's involvement, Eduardo quit his internship on his first day and spent a month in New York trying to get ads and successful got Y2K to be one. After a month apart, Eduardo was headed to California to see Mark and the progress but instead he was sent to a party, the types of parties Mark and his team have been going to all summer. They also went to business meetings and dinners in hopes of getting even more money and they were offering millions to buy thefacebook off of them but they were not willing. Meanwhile, thefacebook has become international, students in England are now on it and Eduardo is beginning to wonder if Mark respect him as the business man of their site. He sends Mark a letter airing his grievances to which Mark responds with stories of going out and partying with Sean. The final straw for Eduardo was when Sean set up a business meeting with VCs and Eduardo was not present. To get his point across, he went to a bank and froze all funds for thefacebook.
QUOTE
"--as cliche as it sounded, it was simply a matter of who had wanted it more" (Mezrich 187).
REACTION
This quote was taken after the twins had lost to a Dutch crew team in England. They lost the race by two seconds and then found out that thefacebook was in schools outside of the United States and used this saying again. It did come down to whoever had the ability of creating a social site faster than the other so I thought this quote was very fitting. What I don't understand is why is Mark letting Sean become a part of thefacebook because he's not really contributing to it any way, except for the publicity, but if Mark were on his own, he would have probably reached the same status he's at with Sean. Eduardo has a right to be concerned with Mark and Sean's relationship because Sean seems like he's trying to take Eduardo's place in the website and the twins seem like they're just bitter about the whole thing.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Accidental Billionaires (100-150)
SUMMARY
Divya, Tyler and Cameron had just found out Mark created thefacebook febraury 9, 2004 and they were not happy about it. They felt like he was leading them on and then slapped them in the face especially after they found out Eduardo had been funding the website. They felt the only reason Mark asked Eduardo was because he knew he had stolen their idea and didn't want to face it. The three seniors sent Mark a cease and desist letter which Mark countered with a letter of his own by the advice of a pre-law friend. The twins were very upset by this and sought advise from many people until they got to talk to the President of Harvard. He basically told them there is nothing he will do because its not his concern. In California, Sean Parker, the co-creator of Napster was looking for the next big thing to attach his name to and that's when he found thefacebook and had to have a meeting with Mark.
QUOTE
"To Tyler Winklevoss --whether wrong or right--that damn kid had stolen his idea and made it his own. And if Harvard had its way, Mark Zuckerberg was going to get away with it" (Mezrich 131).
REACTION
This quote was taken after the twins had their very unsuccessful meeting with the president of Harvard. For me, if I was in this situation as the twins I would be upset to because the trusted Mark to help with the coding of their website but instead he did his own thing. I'm not saying that Mark stole their idea because I don't think he did, but what he should have done is finish the programming for them, then started thefacebook. Also, it seems like Sean Parker just wants to be part of the next big thing and if I was Mark again, I would have steered clear. Eduardo was right to have his doubts, both times Sean tried to make the next best site something happened were he was kicked out of the production. Sound suspicious to me.
Divya, Tyler and Cameron had just found out Mark created thefacebook febraury 9, 2004 and they were not happy about it. They felt like he was leading them on and then slapped them in the face especially after they found out Eduardo had been funding the website. They felt the only reason Mark asked Eduardo was because he knew he had stolen their idea and didn't want to face it. The three seniors sent Mark a cease and desist letter which Mark countered with a letter of his own by the advice of a pre-law friend. The twins were very upset by this and sought advise from many people until they got to talk to the President of Harvard. He basically told them there is nothing he will do because its not his concern. In California, Sean Parker, the co-creator of Napster was looking for the next big thing to attach his name to and that's when he found thefacebook and had to have a meeting with Mark.
QUOTE
"To Tyler Winklevoss --whether wrong or right--that damn kid had stolen his idea and made it his own. And if Harvard had its way, Mark Zuckerberg was going to get away with it" (Mezrich 131).
REACTION
This quote was taken after the twins had their very unsuccessful meeting with the president of Harvard. For me, if I was in this situation as the twins I would be upset to because the trusted Mark to help with the coding of their website but instead he did his own thing. I'm not saying that Mark stole their idea because I don't think he did, but what he should have done is finish the programming for them, then started thefacebook. Also, it seems like Sean Parker just wants to be part of the next big thing and if I was Mark again, I would have steered clear. Eduardo was right to have his doubts, both times Sean tried to make the next best site something happened were he was kicked out of the production. Sound suspicious to me.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Accidental Billionaires (50-99)
SUMMARY
Mark is continuing to work on his website but the houses that had a more elaborate security system he has to break into the house and download the pictures while in the room. He almost gets caught because while he was in one of the rooms a couple comes in and they seem like they would stay awhile but they eventually leave. Within 72 hours after he completed everything the site was viral and every group on campus was using it. He felt he was in huge trouble so he shut down the whole thing. The Crimson did a story on Mark and his website and when Divya, Tyler and Cameron seen the article, they wanted Mark to be the programmer for their website. They emailed him and Mark shows the email to Eduardo, he told Mark that he should maybe steer clear of them but he decides it might be interesting. He met with the twins and this meeting only heightened his interest. In December after Eduardo is an official member of the Phoenix and has just gotten back from visiting his family in Miami, Mark tells him about the Facebook. He described it as a final club but online, exclusive, sexy and fun. The only thing was he needed money, a thousand dollars, and that's why he went to Eduardo and they decided to split the website 30 70. By January of 2004 Tyler, Cameron and Divya have had 2 months of emails between Mark saying that he was doing schoolwork and towards the last emails was the only time he brought up an issue with the site. The twins thought that maybe it was just Mark losing interest and that it was time to find an even newer programmer because he was all burned up. By the beginning of Ferbruary, the Facebook had been live. Eduardo sent it to all his Phoenix buddies and they hoped by sending it to them, the Facebook would go viral.
QUOTE
"Autistic wasn't the right word; socially awkward probably covered it. There were dozens of kids like that all over Harvard," (Mezrich 62).
REACTION
This quote was taken after Divya called Mark socially autistic and it made me really think about the facts that a lot of geniuses had a form of high functioning autism like Einstein and Bill Gates. Mark Zuckerberg is just another super genius that falls into this category. Also, the whole claiming of the idea of Facebook is so confusing. The idea was thrown around so many times, altered a little, then had a new name to it. Even the social networks there are today like myspace is almost identical.
Mark is continuing to work on his website but the houses that had a more elaborate security system he has to break into the house and download the pictures while in the room. He almost gets caught because while he was in one of the rooms a couple comes in and they seem like they would stay awhile but they eventually leave. Within 72 hours after he completed everything the site was viral and every group on campus was using it. He felt he was in huge trouble so he shut down the whole thing. The Crimson did a story on Mark and his website and when Divya, Tyler and Cameron seen the article, they wanted Mark to be the programmer for their website. They emailed him and Mark shows the email to Eduardo, he told Mark that he should maybe steer clear of them but he decides it might be interesting. He met with the twins and this meeting only heightened his interest. In December after Eduardo is an official member of the Phoenix and has just gotten back from visiting his family in Miami, Mark tells him about the Facebook. He described it as a final club but online, exclusive, sexy and fun. The only thing was he needed money, a thousand dollars, and that's why he went to Eduardo and they decided to split the website 30 70. By January of 2004 Tyler, Cameron and Divya have had 2 months of emails between Mark saying that he was doing schoolwork and towards the last emails was the only time he brought up an issue with the site. The twins thought that maybe it was just Mark losing interest and that it was time to find an even newer programmer because he was all burned up. By the beginning of Ferbruary, the Facebook had been live. Eduardo sent it to all his Phoenix buddies and they hoped by sending it to them, the Facebook would go viral.
QUOTE
"Autistic wasn't the right word; socially awkward probably covered it. There were dozens of kids like that all over Harvard," (Mezrich 62).
REACTION
This quote was taken after Divya called Mark socially autistic and it made me really think about the facts that a lot of geniuses had a form of high functioning autism like Einstein and Bill Gates. Mark Zuckerberg is just another super genius that falls into this category. Also, the whole claiming of the idea of Facebook is so confusing. The idea was thrown around so many times, altered a little, then had a new name to it. Even the social networks there are today like myspace is almost identical.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Accidental Billlionaiers The Founding of Facebook (1-49)
SUMMARY
Eduardo Saverin is a sophomore at Harvard University in the beginning of October 2003 and also during this time he is doing his "punching" into one of the most exclusive final clubs for Harvard faculty, alumni and students alike. The club interested in him is called the Phoenix and they are intrigued by Eduardo's potential to be a future businessman. Mark Zuckerberg is also a sophomore at this time. However nobody is interested in him and the only thing he is concentrated on is computers. The Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron, are seniors and are part of a different final club were the members come from old money and have a certain status about them. Tyler and Cameron were not punched into this club until their senior year because their father made his own money on his own, making it "new money", but since the twins were on their way to being on the Olympic team for crew, the rules were bended for them. Divya Narendra, who was also a senior, and the twins had the idea of creating a website for the percentage of the student body that was too busy to find their own partners. The site would show who was checking you out and from there the two would hook up. It was like a dating service for Harvard students. The only problem is that their computer programing guy dropped from the plan last minute and they needed to find somebody that would be able to create the correct algorithms to get the site running. By the end of October, Eduardo was entering his final days of initiation and with this new found social status a lot more girls were more receptive towards him. He used this to help his new best friend Mark out too. But after a bad date, Mark came home and created a website that compared the female students to each other and to farm animals. He called it Facemash.
QUOTE
"A website geared toward socializing could fix that problem, could create a fluid environment where girls and guys could meet. The Harvard Connection would fulfill a need in what was mostly a stagnant social scene," (Mezrich 30).
REACTION
When I was reading the book and I came to this part it made me think about something I seen on the news the other day where students at the University of Chicago created his own social network where students go looking for hook ups. I wonder if those students were inspired by the ideas Tyler, Cameron and Divya had or if their social network was being worked on while Mark Zuckerberg worked on his. I watched the movie "The Social Network" so I thought I knew what I was getting into reading the book but the book is boring. The idea that the book is always better than the movie is not the case in this situation.
Eduardo Saverin is a sophomore at Harvard University in the beginning of October 2003 and also during this time he is doing his "punching" into one of the most exclusive final clubs for Harvard faculty, alumni and students alike. The club interested in him is called the Phoenix and they are intrigued by Eduardo's potential to be a future businessman. Mark Zuckerberg is also a sophomore at this time. However nobody is interested in him and the only thing he is concentrated on is computers. The Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron, are seniors and are part of a different final club were the members come from old money and have a certain status about them. Tyler and Cameron were not punched into this club until their senior year because their father made his own money on his own, making it "new money", but since the twins were on their way to being on the Olympic team for crew, the rules were bended for them. Divya Narendra, who was also a senior, and the twins had the idea of creating a website for the percentage of the student body that was too busy to find their own partners. The site would show who was checking you out and from there the two would hook up. It was like a dating service for Harvard students. The only problem is that their computer programing guy dropped from the plan last minute and they needed to find somebody that would be able to create the correct algorithms to get the site running. By the end of October, Eduardo was entering his final days of initiation and with this new found social status a lot more girls were more receptive towards him. He used this to help his new best friend Mark out too. But after a bad date, Mark came home and created a website that compared the female students to each other and to farm animals. He called it Facemash.
QUOTE
"A website geared toward socializing could fix that problem, could create a fluid environment where girls and guys could meet. The Harvard Connection would fulfill a need in what was mostly a stagnant social scene," (Mezrich 30).
REACTION
When I was reading the book and I came to this part it made me think about something I seen on the news the other day where students at the University of Chicago created his own social network where students go looking for hook ups. I wonder if those students were inspired by the ideas Tyler, Cameron and Divya had or if their social network was being worked on while Mark Zuckerberg worked on his. I watched the movie "The Social Network" so I thought I knew what I was getting into reading the book but the book is boring. The idea that the book is always better than the movie is not the case in this situation.
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