We could still hide the stuff we wanted hidden. Then you did it again. It was like you couldn't stand us actually taking responsibility for our own privacy. Now there is this graph search. To me, this crosses a line with respect to our privacy. The public and private settings don't even mean anything anymore. Oh, sure, people cannot see blocked photos on my profile but if they search "photos of me," they will see all of those photos, whether or not they are listed as public, private or whatever. It doesn't matter -- at this point any total stranger could see anything I have ever posted to Facebook. Even if I have untagged myself -- I never wore that dress, dude, seriously -- the image will still come up in the search. That's not cool. And no, Mr. Zuckerberg, it is not "private" if it can be circumvented by anybody with the ability to type in four words. Which is most people, and a few higher order animals I think as well.
So what changed? Why did Facebook sell out? Is it Google? It's Google, isn't it? They sell $62 billion a year in advertising, and Facebook sells, what, $9 bil? I get it. You probably feel like a used car dealer next to those guys. You're down at JFK, feeling all good about yourself getting on the plane first, sitting in first class like a boss, with the champagne and everything. Then you look out the window and you see Larry Page's private freaking space shuttle coming in after a quick trip to the outer mesosphere. And you feel sad, like a little Chumpy McChumpington. You need more money. And you don't care about anything else. You need more money.
And that's the problem with Facebook, Mr. Zuckerberg. Somewhere between the IPO and the first profit -- oh how you must have spent that dollar -- Facebook lost track of what it was about. There was a time when you were not about money. There was a time that Facebook was not about money. It was about connecting people. That was the mission, and people loved that...
You had a customer focus, and that's why you had a billion people sign up. Now, you have different priorities.
Look, I'm not trying to say don't sell ads, and don't make money. I want you to eat, too. And not Taco Bell, I mean I'm cool if you make enough money to eat real food. And I know we're a captive audience at this point. But at the end of the day, you have to understand that even if we the people are just a product that you're selling to advertisers, that you need to be smart about how you manage your supply chain. That means making sure we're happy, as Facebook users, with the service that we are receiving. We can put up with a lot of stuff. Most of us are pretty much bored with it by now anyway. But we still love the service. But I can't think of too many companies that would violate your privacy in this way. Imagine if Walgreens posted people's bills on their Twitter feed. That's kind of the level Facebook has gone to now, and it's a level too far. You have crossed a line. You did it for profit. But you're going to lose business. My business.
That's why I'm writing you, Mr. Zuckerberg. I know that you know you don't need any more money. You probably aren't even aware how bad it is. I like to think that. But know this -- most of your wealth is locked up in Facebook shares. Facebook sells consumers to advertisers. Consumers don't care about much, but they care about privacy. I'm not an artist, I won't draw you a picture, but trust me, it goes like this. People feel violated, and that they can no longer trust Facebook. Then they leave. There's lots of ways to stay in touch with people. When the people leave, so will the advertisers. Your shares will lose value. If it's principle you care about, do the right thing. If it's money, you'll also want to do the right thing, if only to protect that net worth. Restore privacy to Facebook, or I won't be the first person to walk away.
