Could Mark Zuckerberg become president in 2020? It’s easy to dismiss Zuck for his inexpedience and youth, but against all odds Trump won, so it’s definitely possible. But there is surprisingly a lot of interest in a Zuck 2020 presidential run, as shown by how ‘Mark Zuckerberg president’ is one of the top five prompts for the keyword ‘Mark Zuckerberg’:
Why Zuck has a chance:
1. Despite all the headlines about wealth inequality, the election of Trump is evidence Americans are indifferent to extreme wealth, and that class envy is not as big of a problem as hyped by the left. Although Trump is a billionaire, voters were able to relate to him, so being extremely wealthy did not make him out of touch, unlike Cruz, Rubio, and Jeb, none of whom were as able to connect with voters as effectively as Trump.
2. Zuck is so wealthy, campaign funding will never be an issue. Obama’s campaign cost $1 billion in 2012, spread out over thousands of donors. Zuck is so rich, he could single-handedly fund an Obama-style campaign 50 times over and still have money left over, and if Facebook stock doubles again (which it surely will), make that 100 years, and then 200 years ad infinitum. Such extreme wealth gives him almost limitless options–but as Jeb Bush’s failure shows, who spent $150 million and did not even place in the top 3, money alone is not good enough.
3. Like Hillary, Zuck is a neoliberal progressive, which means all the ‘big blue’ donors and influencers will be behind him: Goldman Sachs, Soros, Citigroup, etc.
This may be a turn-off to some voters, but it will also give him major influence, because these entities are very powerful. CNN and other ‘big blue’ media will give him a lot of coverage, similar to Hillary and Obama.
4. Everyone knows who he is and everyone uses Facebook. A lot of campaigning is not about issues, but about building awareness. Zuck can skip that step, since he is already so famous. Trump also had that advantage, whereas Cruz and Rubio had to build name recognition. Getting a ton of media coverage will also help. Even though the liberal media did not like Trump’s policies much, they give him more attention than he could have ever gotten with advertising. Likewise, Zuck will also get showered with media coverage.
5. Zuck is hugely successful and has private sector experience, which like Trump, is a major positive. Voters are tired of career lawyers and career politicians (as in the case of Cruz, Rubio, Clinton, and Jeb). Like Trump, Zuck can make this private sector experience (and the success of Facebook) a focal part of his campaign.
Why he doesn’t:
1. His IQ is too high. It is believed that an IQ difference of more than 30 points inhibits commutation. If the average IQ is 100, Al Gore, whose SAT-converted IQ is around 135-140, was just at the cusp of this threshold, and indeed a major criticism during his campaign was being too ‘aloof’, compared to George W. Bush (who despite being portrayed by the liberal media as ‘dumb’ has an IQ around 125 or so, which is still quite high). Zuck’s IQ is probably around 160, similar to Bill Gates and Paul Allen, so if elected he would be the smartest president ever. Trump’s ‘low’ IQ, which I estimate to be around 115, allowed him to connect with voters in ways smarter candidates couldn’t.
2. Related to the above, he’s out-of-touch. Trump is like a drinking buddy, who also happens to own a private 757, a golf course, and a gilded skyscraper. But no one wanted to have a beer with Al Gore or Hillary.
3. Although a lot of people use Facebook, it seems not too many people actually like it. There are tons of complaints about privacy and the social network itself being addicting and fostering anxiety and depression.
4. He’s white and male. Hillary’s campaign, targeted–if not outright pandered–to minorities and women, neglecting white men. The democratic party seems to have given up on white males, who favor republican candidates by a 20-25% margin:
But maybe Zuck, being that he’s white and male, will boost white male numbers, but it’s hard to know.
Black turnout was lower in 2016 than in 2008 and 2012, and this may have cost Hillary the election:
If the left wants to maximize turnout, they probably want to run an African-American.