My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Mark Zuckerberg is uncomfortably underrated as a business operator and strategist.
The Reasoning
He's the only major tech founder who clearly understood attention as the core asset early on, demonstrated by his attempts to buy Twitter, successful acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, and failed attempt to buy Snapchat. His track record of attention-based acquisitions is unmatched.
What Needs to Be True
- Attention remains the most important business asset
- His acquisition strategy continues to prove prescient
- The 'nice nerdy kid' persona is authentic, not calculated
- Meta continues to successfully navigate platform competition
Counterargument
He's had massive regulatory issues, privacy scandals, and missed several major trends like TikTok. The acquisitions were obvious moves that any competent CEO would have made.
What Would Change This View
Evidence that his acquisition decisions were lucky rather than strategic, or if Meta fails to compete effectively with new attention platforms over the next 5 years.
Implications for Builders
Study Zuckerberg's acquisition strategy for attention-based businesses
Don't underestimate leaders who seem awkward but have strong strategic vision
Focus on attention capture rather than just technology innovation
Consider that being underrated can be an advantage
Example Application
“When evaluating potential acquisition targets, prioritize companies that have captured significant user attention over those with impressive technology but limited user engagement.”