An insider at the social media company Facebook revealed how founder Mark Zuckerberg “quotes Greek legend” to staff and, “wants to be emperor” as rumours of a presidential run circulate.
Vanity Fair reports that multiple people close to Zuckerberg believe that he is setting his sights on politics in the near future and that he has plans beyond social media giant Facebook. The phrase “he wants to be emperor” is reportedly commonly used by Zuckerberg’s friends when describing the 32-year old.
“He’s been incredibly careful about cultivating a specific type of persona over the past few years,” Vanity Fair claims a close friend of Zuckerberg’s said.
Vanity Fair also reports that Zuckerberg is known to have a fondness for Greek mythology and even recited lines from the film Troy to a room of Facebook staffers. It is also said that if new employees ask why they should join the company, staff are urged to reply, “Because people will remember your name.” Vanity Fair’s sources believe that the tech billionaire plans to run for office in 2024, a rumour that was fuelled by Zuckerberg’s vow earlier last year to visit every state in the US.
“I’ve spent significant time in many states already, so I’ll need to travel to about 30 states this year to complete this challenge,” said Zuckerberg, “My hope for this challenge is to get out and talk to more people about how they’re living, working and thinking about the future.”
With the recent addition of former Obama advisor David Plouffe to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a charitable organization run by Zuckerberg and his wife, a movement into politics could be seen as the next step for the CEO.
Zuckerberg defended Facebook board member Peter Thiel earlier this year over his very public support of President-elect Donald Trump. “There are many reasons a person might support Trump that do not involve racism, sexism, xenophobia or accepting sexual assault,” wrote Zuckerberg in a leaked internal memo.
“I know there are strong views on the election this year both in the US and around the world. We see them play out on Facebook every day. We can’t create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then exclude almost half the country because they back a political candidate,” the memo said.
Zuckerberg has been an outspoken advocate for President Obama and his administration, even hosting a town hall event with Obama in Palo Alto in 2011. Secretary of State John Kerry also received a private tour of Facebook headquarters in 2016.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com