Zuckerberg awkwardly insists his email about buying Google 'sounds like a joke'
Mark Zuckerberg wants Congress to know that he didn't really mean it.
The Facebook CEO was forced to confront his past self at Wednesday's House antitrust hearing. When presented with a host of past emails demonstrating his strategy of buying competitors – and, specifically, one day possibly buying Google — the best he could do was say that it was all in good fun.
The awkward moment was brought to us by Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse, who pressed the CEO on a string of Facebook acquisitions that included Instagram and WhatsApp.
"Facebook also tried to buy other competitive startups," Neguse told Zuckerberg via video chat. "In fact as [subcommittee chairmen Rep. Jerrold Nadler] noted, you did tell one of Facebook's senior engineers in 2012 that you can, quote, 'likely buy, just buy any competitive startup, but it'll be a while before we can buy Google.' Do you recall writing that email?"
Zuckerberg's only response was an attempt to downplay the entire thing.
"Congressman, I don't specifically," he replied. "But it sounds like a joke."
And indeed, for almost anyone else, in almost any other context, this would clearly be a joke. But not Mark Zuckerberg — especially not right after he had internally announced his decision to buy Instagram to Facebook employees.
Neguse made as much clear.
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"I don't take it as a joke," he responded. "You know as I review the email it was in regards to having just closed the Instagram sale, and the response from this individual, this engineer, to you was quote, 'well played.'"
Maybe Zuckerberg's definition of a joke is just different than everyone else's? That would explain his stance on user privacy.
