Mark Zuckerberg's Makeover Didn't Make People Like Him, Study Shows (techcrunch.com) 51
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: A study by the Pew Research Center found that Americans' views of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg skew more negative than positive. While Zuckerberg has sparked chatter in Silicon Valley with his sudden interest in high fashion, the Meta CEO is less popular than President Trump's right-hand man, Elon Musk, the report found. While about 54% of U.S. adults say they have an unfavorable view of Musk, 67% feel negatively toward Zuckerberg. [...] But Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, is more universally disliked, though he draws more ire from the left-leaning demographic. While 60% of Republican and Republican-leaning respondents hold an unfavorable view of Zuckerberg, 76% of their Democratic counterparts share that sentiment.
So, while Zuck may be playing the part of the cool guy, Americans haven't been fooled by his gold chains or musical ambitions, it seems. Pew's study involved a panel of 5,086 randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was conducted from January 27, 2025, through February 2, 2025, so these responses reflect people's recent opinions.
So, while Zuck may be playing the part of the cool guy, Americans haven't been fooled by his gold chains or musical ambitions, it seems. Pew's study involved a panel of 5,086 randomly selected U.S. adults. The survey was conducted from January 27, 2025, through February 2, 2025, so these responses reflect people's recent opinions.
Wait, what? (Score:5, Interesting)
The idea that what he's doing now is some kind of polished PR persona seems wild.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Same here, I never would've guessed those fashion choices were intended to win anyone's approval. And while there are a lot of reasons not to like Zuck, it's kind of alarming that he's less popular than a guy who endorses the AfD and throws back-to-back nazi salutes in public.
Re:Wait, what? [Shocked!] (Score:2)
“I'm shocked — shocked — to find that gambling is going on in here!”
Obligatory joke, but basically aligns with the FP.
Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Funny)
And he has a meanness that makes him not very popular among discerning people.
Re: Wait, what? (Score:2)
17:05 ISS is irrevocable in de-orbit trajectory.
Re: Wait, what? (Score:2)
The idea that personal image / brand changes are PR moves aimed *at the public* is wild.
Maybe its self-expression, maybe its premature middle age crisis (is there a difference?) or maybe its virtue-signaling, like most people changing public image. But virtue-signaling is driven ny peer groups and power differentials, not "popular opinion" unless you are literally running for elected office
Re: (Score:2)
Wait, what? Zuck had a makeover?! Did they add legs to his VR model or something? What'd I miss?
Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Interesting)
yes, he got into bjj/mma, which is full of right wing trump fans, started dressing like them and turned more right wing, probably because they were love bombing him while he was getting hate from mainstream media for what his companies do (some justified, some unjustified). I didn't have a negative opinion about him until he said that new media like Joe Rogan is replacing old media and it's a good thing which suggest to me he doesn't understand the difference between journalism and opinion/analysis or is so pilled he doesn't give a fuck.
Re: (Score:1)
I didn't have a negative opinion about him until he said that new media like Joe Rogan is replacing old media and it's a good thing which suggest to me he doesn't understand the difference between journalism and opinion/analysis or is so pilled he doesn't give a fuck.
If you disagree with his comments on media, then tell me why you have all the confidence in the world for the status quo?
Talking heads ALL repeating the exact same talking points in perfect synchronization, is how we find our reporting today. That’s not journalism. That’s a propaganda machine manipulated by Government.
Good Morning, Vietnam is a hilarious comedy by most accounts. Go watch it again. You’ll realize it’s a movie about Government censorship and manipulative control o
Re: (Score:2)
I do not know about Zuck, but Musk seems to be attention and approval-starved. Essentially an ultra-rich screw-up, because he sabotages himself.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure Caligula, Charles I and Louis XVI all similarly thought they were untouchable. Well, probably not fair to include poor old Louis, he was more out of touch than malicious. No one is truly untouchable, and even if the guillotine or the assassin's blade doesn't touch you, you're still going to die, and the body of the richest man is worth not one farthing more than the body of the poorest man.
Physical attractiveness plays a role (Score:5, Insightful)
Zuck looks like an humanoid lizard wearing an ill-fitting human suit. Seriously, you can't look at the guy without getting creepy uncanny valley vibes.
And Musk? Well, he kind of looks like what you'd get if you ordered Mike Myers from Temu.
There's a reason why well-loved celebrities can be tycoons, but tycoons can't necessarily be well-loved celebrities, and it probably does come down to looks.
Re:Physical attractiveness plays a role (Score:4, Funny)
When you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.
Re: (Score:2)
> And Musk? Well, he kind of looks like what you'd get if you ordered Mike Myers from Temu.
Which Mike Myers?
The comedic actor ... or the killer in the thirteen Halloween movies that's wearing a children's Captain Kirk mask painted white?
Re: (Score:2)
There's a reason why well-loved celebrities can be tycoons, but tycoons can't necessarily be well-loved celebrities, and it probably does come down to looks.
If we had to choose between clueless beauty and ugly brains, I know which one investors will back.
”Looks” as the investment has one major flaw for half the human race that utilizes it to maximum advantage; The Wall, is unforgiving and undefeated.
Eventually you need to provide actual value. Capitalism doesn’t often invest heavily in depreciating assets.
because Zuck is a fucking robot (Score:2)
Elon may be a mini-nazi, but at least nazis are human beings.
Zuck is literally an alien from another planet who is still trying to convince humanity he's one of them.
Re: (Score:3)
Elon has undergone more gender affirming care than any trans youth. Recall his photo circa 1999. https://miro.medium.com/v2/res... [medium.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Elon has undergone more gender affirming care than any trans youth. Recall his photo circa 1999. https://miro.medium.com/v2/res... [medium.com]
Fan or no fan of Elon, this isn’t even a valid argument you’re making. Reverse-age Musk naturally with any capability, and you’ll likely get the same result.
Dude also has more kids than a baseball team, and cracks jokes as lame as any Old Man would. Good luck with that theory of yours.
At least we can stop worrying now. (Score:2)
Elon may be a mini-nazi, but at least nazis are human beings.
Zuck is literally an alien from another planet who is still trying to convince humanity he's one of them.
Let’s put at least some fears to bed permanently, shall we?
IF a literal alien landed on our planet and found it’s only aspiration in life to build fucking Facebook, then I think we can now all feel quite safe about that whole “alien invasion” we’ve been freaking out about since Welles.
Repeat after me (Score:1)
Fuck the Zuck. Preferably with a large bamboo skewer or something. He can live stream the entire thing on Facebook. That will be the guy's greatest achievement for the advancement of society to date.
Wording of the polling question was interesting: (Score:4, Insightful)
"So which do you prefer... this big pile of poop over here, or that other big pile of poop over there?"
54% unfavorable of Musk (Score:2, Insightful)
What the fuck people. Does he have to grow a Hitler stache for you to disapprove of Musk.
Sadly I guess his "take your kid to work" stunt actually work, it should make anyone vomit.
"Look at me, I'm destroying the government with zero oversight, but I got a 4 year old on my head, I'm cute"
Re: (Score:1)
Musk has reportedly threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink unless Kyiv agrees to its demands on critical minerals, according to Reuters. After Zelensky refused to hand over 50% of these resources, Washington hinted at a potential shutdown.
That number is going to get a lot worse.
Seems weird America would ask for 50% when Europe has provided more support.
Re: (Score:1)
What the fuck people. Does he have to grow a Hitler stache for you to disapprove of Musk. Sadly I guess his "take your kid to work" stunt actually work, it should make anyone vomit. "Look at me, I'm destroying the government with zero oversight, but I got a 4 year old on my head, I'm cute"
Wasn’t so fucking cute when a country swallowed hard repeatedly dealing with the financial pain of watching Dr. Jill Biden drag her kid to work every day for four years while an entire country was ignored as billions flowed through the very country that hires dishonorably discharged cokeheads onto executive energy boards.
You reap what you sow. America voted for this. Deal with it.
Wow looks like a wannabe (Score:4, Insightful)
So odd how he comes off as a wannabe. Like dude you are one of the richest people yet you look like an insecure imitator. Comes off so very uncomfortable in his own skin.
It's because he's a phony (Score:3)
Musk is sort of the same way and it's why musk and Zuckerberg are often spoken together in the same breath. They are both phonies that never actually did anything useful and instead blundered into their money.
Each man is if not terrified certainly extreme
Re: (Score:1)
Only rsilvergun can say something that asinine with a straight face.
Re: (Score:1)
Yeh. I imagine most evenings he sits in a rocking chair shaking his fist at the sky.
Re: (Score:2)
So odd how he comes off as a wannabe. Like dude you are one of the richest people yet you look like an insecure imitator. Comes off so very uncomfortable in his own skin.
This. Sometime in the previous decade, he made a big deal about how he was killing animals prior to eating them and insisting that if you didn't do the same thing, you were some kind of poser to just buy your meat the grocery store. At that point I realized that he was completely detached from how normal people live so I stopped respecting him.
They needed a study for this? (Score:3)
Mark Zuckerberg's Makeover Didn't Make People Like Him, Study Shows
I'm gonna go out of a limb and say Pew could have taken a cue from Trump/Musk/DOGE and cut the funding for this study and still come to the same conclusion.
I mean even billionaires apparently don't like the other billionaires... Elon Musk Called Conversations With Bill Gates 'Underwhelming' After Fellow Tech Billionaire Shared He Bought An Electric Porsche, Not A Tesla [benzinga.com] -- or maybe Musk is just, um, bitter that Gates bought a Porsche EV rather than a Tesla ...
surprised billionaires are so wierd and creepy (Score:3)
Re:surprised billionaires are so wierd and creepy (Score:5, Informative)
Like I don't guess I am that surprised that billionaires have taken over, but I am surprised how weird and creepy they all are. zuckerberg, musk, trump, bezos. Just ew
I'm not so sure the Trump is a billionaire, or at least that he was before the TikTok guy threw all that cash into Trump Media. He's clearly had assets worth billions for years, but he's also had enormous debts, and it wasn't even certain that the net was non-negative, much less the billions he claims. The DJT stock's ludicrous valuation almost certainly puts Trump 2-3 billion in the black, but it's also purely paper, propped up by its memestock status and by people buying influence. If at any moment normal business valuation logic is applied, its value will rapidly go to zero.
But Trump is clearly set up to take massive bribes, so he probably will be a true billionaire, maybe even deca-billionaire, by the end of this term. Of course, that will still make him worth chump change compared to the others you mentioned, all of whom are multi-centi-billionaires.
Tech-bro fashion (Score:2)
[...] But the fact that social media sharing puts people who try to be scrupulous and accurate at a competitive disadvantage to people who try to be sensationalistic and prejudice-flattering is a real problem. I sympathized with almost everything he said about this to Ezra Klein during his 'lib' turn in 2018, as well as with almost everything he said about it to Joe Rogan during his 'MAGA' turn this winter. The underlying problem is, that while technological progress is good in the aggregate, not every specific innovation is good. Zuckerberg just happens to be cursed with the reality that be became very rich at a very young age by being a pioneer in a technology that is basically harmful. [...] But there's no way around the fact that an information ecosystem based on virality - whether Facebook or TikTok or Twitter or anything else - exacerbates the flaws of establishment media rather than improving them.
Poor little-rich kid caught a tiger and doesn't know what to do.
It's clear Zuckerberg didn't care about the emotional damage his platform caused. He turned people's privacy into a saleable commodity, studied how to enrage and addict people to his toxic virality, and was the first to "kiss the ring" after Trump was elected. Bezos isn't any better. The tech-bro fashion update they both undertook, hasn't hidden the abuse they heaped upon their customers and subscribers.
Scares me! (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm a former Marine. Served in a war. Only one thing in this world scares me ... Zuckerberg's soulless beady eyed stare. Sends fucking chills down my spine when I see it. It's God damned unnatural!
Re: (Score:2)
I get the same uneasy feeling when I see Jesse Eisenberg, Dude never should have gone full retard.
No one knows or cares (Score:1, Redundant)
Since when is what some tool wears news for nerds or stuff that matters?
There's already piles of celebrity news trash rags available. Let them report this nonsense.
Re: (Score:1)
The Financial Times, citing Western officials, reports that the U.S. opposes using the term "aggressor" to describe Russia in the new G7 communiqué.
Trump has spoken and it's your duty to fall in line like a good little MAGA.
Elon Musk is a nice guy,
Musk has reportedly threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink unless Kyiv agrees to its demands on critical minerals, according to Reuters. After Zelensky refused to hand over 50% of these resources, Washington hinted at a potential shutdown. Nice guy if you're a dictator like Putin/Trump. Not so much if you favor democracy and don't like unelected bureaucrats running everything.
Feb 2 is not recent enough (Score:2)
People's opinions on Musk have been changing pretty dramatically lately