• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
TechData Sheet

Data Sheet—Mark Zuckerberg’s Truth Problem

By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
and
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
and
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 11, 2018, 10:22 AM ET

This is the web version of Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here.

Truth plays a starring role in Evan Osnos’ thorough profile of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the New Yorker, published yesterday. There is a brief appearance of the regrettable private message that Zuckerberg, then 19 years old, sent to a friend about users of his new service: “They ‘trust me.’ Dumb fucks.” There is the uncomfortable truth that private-life Zuckerberg, now 34, isn’t quite what his public image projects—a contrast that “reminded me of Hillary Clinton,” the author writes. And there is, of course, the Russian election interference and Cambridge Analytica scandals that put Facebook’s top executives in hot water for not being truthful about what happened, when, and how.

But the detail that leaves the largest impression is Zuckerberg’s personal relationship with the truth. Given his lofty position at Facebook, “it is difficult for him to get genuine, unexpurgated feedback” from employees, Osnos writes. What’s more, the CEO’s “unwillingness to heed warnings,” his college hacker mentality long hardened, has made any efforts to “puncture his own bubble,” in Osnos’ words, less than, well, truthful.

It’s a funny turn of phrase, come to think of it. Zuckerberg has long worked in a glass rectangle—a fishbowl of a sort—at Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters. The gesture is meant to convey the CEO’s radical transparency, but to me, it has long communicated the opposite. The bubble boy behind “Move fast and break things” rarely wanted to shatter his own barrier in pursuit of truth, however disagreeable. Somewhere along the way to becoming a Fortune 500 media executive, Osnos notes, Zuckerberg began to see virtue in rejecting complaints. “There’s always someone who wants to slow you down,” Zuckerberg said in a commencement address at Harvard last year.

Here’s the thing about the facts, though: they are stabilizing. Though Zuckerberg, a Roman history buff, has chosen his approach—“Like Augustus, he is at peace with his trade-offs. Between speech and truth, he chose speech,” Osnos writes—he should be wise to remember how that story ends: with Nero, a great fire, and a fabled fiddle.

Andrew Nusca
@editorialiste
andrew.nusca@fortune.com

NEWSWORTHY

Justice by Algorithm: Civil rights groups hailed California's decision to eliminate cash bail, which many believe creates perverse incentives. But the state's recent move to use algorithms to inform bail decisions has created new concerns over lack of transparency, and implicit racial bias.

Google vs the EU in court today: The latest legal showdown between the two antagonists turns on whether regulators can force Google to implement the so-called "right to be forgotten" on a world-wide basis. Google argues orders to delist search links should only apply to European versions of its site.

EU copyright creep: The European Parliament plans to vote on Wednesday on a controversial plan to expand copyright in a manner that would force the likes of Google and Facebook to negotiate payments for "digital use" of news media. Critics deride the plan as a "link tax" and warn it will hobble startups and small publishers.

Citigroup cracks the crypto code: The banking giant is poised to make cryptocurrency accessible to many investors who would otherwise be barred from owning the stuff. Its solution is to offer something akin to an "American depositary receipt," which is a system banks have long used to allow investors to own foreign stocks.

Endangered animals on Facebook: A watchdog group that tracks endangered wildlife reports more than 1,500 listings of live animals for sale in Thailand, including the Siamese crocodile. The listings were found on 12 different Facebook groups over one month.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The phenomenon of lynching is not new in India but, in yet another example of social media turbo-charging violence, WhatsApp is exacerbating the problem. A BuzzFeed investigation explores an incident of villagers beating five transients to death after a widely-shared WhatsApp video warned of strangers coming for their children. WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook don't appear to have a handle on the problem:

Therein lies the problem for WhatsApp, which, like many internet-connected platforms, has repeatedly argued that it should not be responsible for the content its users distribute. Founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton and acquired by Facebook in 2014, WhatsApp has focused on building tools to allow people to share information securely and quickly, while strongly opposing the notion that it should moderate what its users share.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Winkelvoss Twins Win Approval for Dollar-Backed Cryptocurrency By Robert Hackett

Apple Stock Slips as Trump Calls Out Company Before iPhone Event By Kevin Kelleher

Snap Shares Tumble Over News of Top Executive's Departure By Don Reisinger

Political Divisions Widen When Users Find Opposing Views on Twitter By Don Reisinger

Nearly Half of American Households Will Own a Smart Speaker by 2019 By Chris Morris

BEFORE YOU GO

Lox her up. On Monday afternoon, the chatter in New York City was not money or tech or fashion. Instead, the Twitterati collectively flipped out over a decision by gubernatorial candidate (and former Sex and the City star) Cynthia Nixon to order lox, onions and capers on a cinnamon raisin bagel. Gross.

This edition of Data Sheet was curated by Jeff John Roberts. Find past issues, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters.

About the Authors
By Adam Lashinsky
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Jeff John Roberts
By Jeff John RobertsEditor, Finance and Crypto
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jeff John Roberts is the Finance and Crypto editor at Fortune, overseeing coverage of the blockchain and how technology is changing finance.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

murdochs
CommentaryMedia
OpenAI paid $100 million for a talk show. James Murdoch is eyeing an even bigger deal. The hot new asset class is humanity
By Lin CherryMay 17, 2026
12 hours ago
dennis
CommentaryAI agents
Freshworks CEO: why agile enterprises are winning the AI race — and what they did differently
By Dennis WoodsideMay 17, 2026
12 hours ago
A man with a headset sits at a desk in a call center.
EconomyAutomation
The AI boom hasn’t stopped U.S. companies from hiring cheap offshore labor, and overseas call center employment is still skyrocketing
By Sasha RogelbergMay 17, 2026
13 hours ago
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
Workplace Cultureremote work
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 17, 2026
13 hours ago
Stressed job seeker
SuccessGen Z
Gen Z is right about the job hunt—it really is worse than it was for millennials, with nearly 60% of fresh-faced grads frozen out of the workforce
By Emma BurleighMay 17, 2026
13 hours ago
A 45,000-person labor strike at Samsung’s memory chip plants could throw a wrench into the AI boom
EconomySamsung
A 45,000-person labor strike at Samsung’s memory chip plants could throw a wrench into the AI boom
By Catherina GioinoMay 17, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
14 hours ago
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
Energy
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.