Yesterday I got rejected by one of the richest people in the world, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The intro computer science class at Stanford, CS 106a had two surprise guest lecturers Mike Schroepfer, VP of engineering at Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg the genius founder and recently fictionalized star of the film “The Social Network”. They talked about what engineering means to them and emphasized the value proposition of the social web. Mark also gave some advice which was to take advantage of the policy at Stanford which allows students to drop out for a quarter or longer to pursue a start-up and then return to school later. Although he has gotten panned in the press for his public speaking and snarky remarks, he came off as a smart, articulate, programmer who had a lot to say when somebody asked a smart question and little to say when someone asked a dumb question. For example he expounded on the design of the new server station being built in Oregon and how energy efficient it is going to be. But when asked “how many friends do you have on Facebook?” he replied and rightfully so “Less than 1000. It is only supposed to be used for friends, not for people you just know.”
After the lecture I rushed out of my seat to go introduce myself to Mike and Mark. I gave a pack of Think Gum® and business card to Mike who graciously accepted it. Then I went up to Mark and said something to the effect of “I’m also an entrepreneur. I started a chewing gum company that makes caffeinated gum that helps with concentration and memory. Here’s a pack of gum. If you like it maybe you can stock it at Facebook for your employees”. Likely it wasn’t quite so articulate as I was nervous…I mean, he came straight from a meeting with president Bush and is the youngest billionaire on the planet!
Mark then said “Sorry I don’t like caffeine.”
He proceeded to check his iPhone and then patted me on the back and left.
If anyone from Facebook is reading this post, please e-mail me and I’ll send a free box of Think Gum® to the Facebook office in your care with the hopes that it makes it to the right people to get it stocked in the kitchens at work.
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