Jeremy Stern reported his Mark Zuckerberg profile over five or six months, interviewing Zuckerberg and almost 40 other people, and says it became a portrait of a possible last-of-his-generation founder.
Stern and David Senra agree Zuckerberg's competitive drive is underestimated, with a former AI researcher at a rival lab saying Zuckerberg simply does not stop.
Stern's Palmer Luckey profile grew from a planned 3,000-word defence technology piece into a 15,000-word life profile covering Luckey's support for Trump and his firing.
Jeremy Stern on why Zuckerberg never stops building
Zuckerberg may be the last of his generation of founders, and Stern's profile found a more interesting figure than the villain he had expected. Meta's reach, founder control and two decades of infrastructure dealmaking give his relentless drive real force. Technology founders are now America's most culturally central figures, and Stern's long profiles are an attempt to understand them.
Takeaways
Zuckerberg's competitive drive is badly underestimated. Stern quotes a former Zuckerberg AI researcher, now at a rival lab, saying he just keeps going. Stern adds that people this competitive are usually monstrous to those around them. He and Senra expect Zuckerberg and Musk to die as CEOs.
Meta is a business first, with unmatched reach. Stern says Meta's potential install base for its AI models is roughly half of humanity, through WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. Zuckerberg also has two decades of negotiating data-centre infrastructure with governments, and his structure means he never has to raise money or ask permission.
Control let Zuckerberg refuse Yahoo's billion dollars. Around 2006 Yahoo offered roughly one billion dollars. The board, including Don Graham and Peter Thiel, urged him to accept. Zuckerberg owned about 70 percent of the company and declined. He says in the profile that he is addicted to building.
Zuckerberg's Augustus obsession reads the emperor selectively. Since high school Latin, Zuckerberg has admired Augustus as a leader who replaced pillage with trade. Stern calls that selective, since Augustus also built a standing army and ended political liberty. Sean Parker made him stop shouting 'Domination' at the end of meetings.
A hostile expectation became a more interesting portrait. Stern expected a hostile reading, since his Luckey profile made Zuckerberg its villain after Luckey's firing over a small pro-Trump contribution. After five or six months and interviews with Zuckerberg and almost 40 others, he found a more interesting figure.
Tech founders are now America's central cultural figures. Stern argues technology and business figures hold that role, and the long-form magazine profile tradition has declined as a result. His Luckey piece, planned at 3,000 words on defence technology after October 7, became a 15,000-word life profile.
Kushner's family history shapes his fear of losing magic. Josh Kushner's grandmother fought with the Bielski partisans, who lived in a forest in what is now Belarus. Stern says Kushner's question to Rick Rubin about losing the magic captured with Thrive reflects that fear. Senra argues Kushner sees himself as a builder, not a venture capitalist.
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On this episode 2
Show 1
How Stern reports a profile
He usually spends six months to a year on each piece.
He asks subjects for at least two 90-minute conversations, separated by a sizable interval.
For the Scott Wu profile he wanted a technologist who is also a humanist. When he asked around, Wu's name came up most.
He approached Wu shortly after Cursor's deal with xAI. Senra says Wu turns down acquisition offers, and Stern says Wu plans to run his company to the end.