Zuckerberg Says Apple's Culture is Not Like Meta's (msn.com) 46
Meta and Apple have increasingly been rivals, and Mark Zuckerberg only expects their competition to intensify in the coming years. From a report: "I think in a lot of ways we're like the opposite of Apple," Zuckerberg said. "Clearly, their stuff has worked really well too. They take this approach that's like, 'We're going to take a long time, we're going to polish it, we're going to put it out,' and maybe for the stuff that they're doing that works, maybe that just fits with their culture."
Zuckerberg went on to say Meta approaches product releases differently, saying, "there are a lot of conversations that we have internally where you're almost at the line of being embarrassed at what you put out." "You want to really have a culture that values shipping and getting things out and getting feedback more than needing always to get great positive accolades from people when you put stuff out," he continued.
He also took the opportunity to critique Apple's approach. "If you want to wait until you get praised all the time, you're missing a bunch of the time when you could've learned a bunch of useful stuff and then incorporated that into the next version you're going to ship," he said. [...] Zuck said one of his goals for the next 10 or 15 years is "to build the next generation of open platforms and have the open platforms win."
Zuckerberg went on to say Meta approaches product releases differently, saying, "there are a lot of conversations that we have internally where you're almost at the line of being embarrassed at what you put out." "You want to really have a culture that values shipping and getting things out and getting feedback more than needing always to get great positive accolades from people when you put stuff out," he continued.
He also took the opportunity to critique Apple's approach. "If you want to wait until you get praised all the time, you're missing a bunch of the time when you could've learned a bunch of useful stuff and then incorporated that into the next version you're going to ship," he said. [...] Zuck said one of his goals for the next 10 or 15 years is "to build the next generation of open platforms and have the open platforms win."
Opposite is not the right word. (Score:1)
Both companies are in it for the profits, the means to bring income differs.
Consequential vs inconsequential products/services (Score:2)
In what way is Apple and Meta the same?
Wildly commercially successful? Massively egotistical and controlling founders?
However one is shipping consequential products and services so they have to get things correct.
The other is shipping inconsequential services so there is no real harm when they fail.
Re: (Score:2)
They're not similar at all. Facebook wants to be viewed as serious as Apple is, but it sells no hardware anyone actually wants or needs, no software that is in "everything"
Hell, I can name exactly ONE thing that facebook makes that's in everything, and it's easily replaced.
OVRLIPSYNC
That's right, damn near every 2D and 3D application and game out there is using Occulus's audio-lipsync library. And because they don't produce a version of it for all platforms, that has driven an opensource alternatives, but h
In what way is Apple and Meta the same? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
They're both complicit in surveiling their users for spy agencies and run multinational shell company schemes to avoid paying corporate taxes where they do business.
One presumes that's the quid pro quo.
https://arstechnica.com/securi... [arstechnica.com]
Re: (Score:3)
Aside from a VR headset, not really seeing it. Where's the Meta Phone, Laptop and Operating System?
Came to say pretty much that. Apple actually puts out products; beyond the VR stuff, Meta's only products are their subscribers.
I suspect this is just ol' Zuckerbarf trying to seem relevant and insightful and human. Nadella and Pichai do the same thing, and it's cringeworthy. They're all lightweight wankers when it comes to theorizing and philosophizing, but Zuck's probably the least insightful.
Does anybody really listen to these guys? If so, why?
Re: (Score:2)
Where's the Meta Phone, Laptop and Operating System?
For the OS: Meta is a top contributor to the linux kernel, anywhere 3rd-8th depending how to count. They develop BPF and btrfs. The stats:
* 6.8 https://lwn.net/Articles/96410... [lwn.net]
* 6.9 https://lwn.net/Articles/97260... [lwn.net]
* 6.10 https://lwn.net/Articles/98155... [lwn.net]
I'm not sure Zuck really wanted to bring that up (Score:5, Informative)
Apple products mostly just work. Facebook, on the other hand, can't even keep its message editor working.
Apple products are popular and often considered visionary. Meta spent a fortune failing to build a business version of World of Warcraft.
We can certainly agree that Meta does not share Apple's culture or functionality.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple products mostly just work. Facebook, on the other hand, can't even keep its message editor working.
In terms of just work I sort of disagree. You end up with bugs here and there. That said Facebook has sold how many generations of VR headsets before Apple came along to make the "perfect" one priced so laughably out of reach that it is likely to be relegated to the history books as one of the company's biggest flops.
There's benefits to both approaches. You can see that in VR (let's face it, it's the only hardware product Facebook has - that's largely what they are talking about here, not messaging). Apple'
Facebook bought one, Apple designed one (Score:2)
Facebook has sold how many generations of VR headsets before Apple came along to make the "perfect" one
You mean Facebook bought Id/Carmack's Oculus VR before Apple did? The fact that Facebook shipped something working here was entirely due to Carmack who does NOT follow facebook's culture.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
"Perfect" is also subjective.
I know that a lot of people use and love Apple products. The Apple ecosystem works for them, they love it. That's great and I'm not in any way dismissive of it.
A lot of what affects customer satisfaction is a) what you're used to using and b) what kind of user you are, in so far as your expectations as to how the device should behave and what you are able to do with it.
When I've had to use Apple devices for work, it has been a struggle to say the least. Basic features that I tak
Re: (Score:2)
Apple products mostly just work. Facebook, on the other hand, can't even keep its message editor working.
In terms of just work I sort of disagree. You end up with bugs here and there. That said Facebook has sold how many generations of VR headsets before Apple came along to make the "perfect" one priced so laughably out of reach that it is likely to be relegated to the history books as one of the company's biggest flops.
Oculus sold multiple generations of VR headsets. Meta bought a working company. Anybody with money can buy their way to a successful product. This does not make their product development strategy a good model to emulate.
Meanwhile, Meta's main project, Facebook, is a train wreck. Basic things like being able to post text break constantly, which would "just work" if they got out of the way and stopped trying to interfere with basic text editing. Instead, they try to cram too much garbage code into the pr
Re: (Score:2)
I have experience going back to System 5 of the classic Mac OS, and with most of the versions in between then and now, and I can confidently say that there has never been any significant span of time when Apple products were more reliable than average unless you did less stuff with them, under which conditions Microsoft products also become more reliable. Early versions of Mac OS X showed considerable effort that they really never put into the Classic Mac OS, but most of that effort was bought in and ultima
Re: (Score:2)
Really Zuckerberg??? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I find is repeatedly amusing when Zuckerberg makes statements where he means something something completely different than "yeah, because Facebook is a horrible company", but the wording can also support that interpretation - and that's where everyone else's mind immediately goes.
Not like Meta[stasize] - you don't say! (Score:3)
Oh really Zuck? You don't think Apple are a bunch of privacy rapists like you? Wow what a surprise!
Why is Zuck pushing for Apple? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And of course, "let your users debug your releases" worked well for Microsoft.
Re: (Score:2)
"You can build things faster and better if you're always testing them."
No, you can't - because that isn't what actually happens. You've got a tautological error in your statement, because "faster" is directly oppositional to "testing them".
What ends up happening is you just keep releasing things that barely pass unit tests and security audits, which perform like shit, and have bugs up the ass - "corner cases". And you think that's fine, because you've mitigated it with a fault tolerant cloud design - but it
Re: (Score:2)
Both approaches have benefits. You can see this in the VR space where Meta is several products in and have found and tried, and abandoned a variety of things. The problem with insisting you polish everything to perfection is you absolutely have to get it right or you end up failing hard. The end result is now a positive for Meta: they know what sells, they know what the marketing is pushing for, vs Apple who come along with perfection and got laughed out of the room for what they delivered, literally a prod
Yeah right (Score:2)
Sure, push stuff out all the time whether it works or not, make people pay through the nose for the next half-assed VR headset and what have you so they can give QA feedback for the NEXT just-as-half-assed headset that costs twice as much ...
Re: (Score:2)
Not defending Meta or Facebook (Quit Facebook 13+ years ago when it was too much invasion of my life).
But have you TRIED their VR?
I was one of the first adopters of HTC Vive VR that actually really worked, then I saw a future in VR, but it wasn't ready. We were about 200K users at that time in 2016 and it didn't grow much. You needed an very expensive computer, and the setup wasn't very home friendly with the 7-9 cables you needed just to get going, but it def. showed the future of VR, smooth, fast, and enj
"Open" platforms? (Score:2)
You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means.
Re: (Score:2)
Activity pub being the open standard behind Mastedon and other open social media apps. The appeal to Zuck is to not have to do all of the moderation, while still benefiting blamelessly from the content. Oh no Trump insulted Italians, Muslims, Irish, Jewish, Blacks, Mexicans, Video game players and poor white males? Welp, he's not on our platform, he's on truth social*.
"build the next generation of open platforms" (Score:3)
"build the next generation of open platforms and have the open platforms win"
Isn't the whole point of Facebook to be a closed platform? Apple and Facebook have that in common. They both like locked-down platforms.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
ok maybe but if he care about open standards, he would make not only Threads, but much more importantly Facebook open.
Federation could allow me to see my friend's Facebook posts without needing a Facebook account and be targeted by Facebook's ads.
Re: "build the next generation of open platforms" (Score:2)
Yes, and Activity Pub for Threads is still the future. They are only testing it. You still need an Instagram account to join.
Re: (Score:2)
Apples vs oranges (Score:2)
Hardware? (Score:3)
Honestly, Apple is a hardware vendor. They can't just put out stuff that's at the line of being embarrassing and then collect feedback. Apple has to live with the consequences of bad design for years. Facebook does not.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple has to live with the consequences of bad design for years. Facebook does not.
To be fair, Facebook is dealing with the consequences of their VR product, and it isn't great.
Get whiz?!! .... (Score:2)
Zuckerberg Says Apple's Culture is Not Like Meta's
I never would have guessed if 'the Zuck' hadn't revealed these stunning news.
Apple v. Facebook (Score:2)
I trust Apple more than Facebook. Apple's stuff basically works, can't say the same for Facebook.
I've used both VR sets, and Apple's is clearly "better" though neither have become must-haves in our household. My son has a Meta VR and it was cool for a while, and has lost luster.
Other than that, I use my Apple stuff to access Facebook when I have to. But I don't need Facebook to access anything Apple. And I wouldn't pay Facebook unless I needed to - I choose to purchase Apple products as needed.
The most direct, telling statement (Score:2)
"I think in a lot of ways we're like the opposite of Apple... Clearly, their stuff has worked really well too.
So Meta's opposite of Apple would be... that their stuff doesn't work.
I don't particularly like either one (Score:2)
I'll take... (Score:2)
He's right. (Score:3)
Apple: I'm the customer.
Meta: I'm the product.
Never stable (Score:2)
New features are fine and all, but imagine a product that literally during its whole lifetime never works correctly. Every time one thing gets fixed, another thing is newly broken. There are way too many products like this. There are also bugs that never get fixed at any point because they aren't broken enough.
Since when has Apple sought praise (Score:1)
"If you want to wait until you get praised all the time"
Since when has Apple put stuff out expecting universal praise?
Even new product is met with harsh criticism. Either "no one will buy it" in the first iteration (see: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, etc) or "it hasn't changed enough, non one will buy it" (see: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, etc).
Apple puts out stuff when they think it reaches a minimum level of usability for customers. and then iterates - but the important thing is Apple is willing to iterate fo
Free test labor (Score:2)
That's essentially what Facebook does. Let's throw this half-assed product out there and see who complains and what they complain about.
How embarrassing for him (Score:2)
"You want to really have a culture that values shipping and getting things out and getting feedback more than needing always to get great positive accolades from people when you put stuff out," he continued.
Does he not realize this is, well... horrible?
This is how you end up with code that isn't supportable, or usable.
Yes, it works better with a "cloud" model like Meta, or Google or AWS, where you've got a very small surface of code visibility to your users. But Meta is hardly making a good product, as a re