Mark Zuckerberg insists he has no plans for political office, despite his current aim to visit every state in America.
The Facebook founder and CEO has repeatedly brushed off rumours that he sees himself as a future president, but this time he has explicitly ruled out the move on his own social media site.
Mr Zuckerberg sparked widespread speculation about his motives after setting off on a tour of the country, in which he aims to meet people in all 50 states to discuss their “hopes and challenges”.
Posting from Rhode Island on Sunday, the 33-year-old billionaire said of his string of unannounced appearances: “My personal challenge this year is to visit every state I haven’t spent time in before to learn about people’s hopes and challenges, and how they’re thinking about their work and communities.
“Some of you have asked if this challenge means I’m running for public office. I’m not.”
Last year it emerged that Mr Zuckerberg had sought to be allowed to serve two years in government without losing control of Facebook, according to court documents. The suggestion has also gained further momentum in the light of his meetings with the likes of David Cameron, China’s president, Xi Jinping and the Pope.
But politics, he claims, is far from his mind. Instead he believes Facebook can make a difference to the people he has met along the way as “your relationships shape your path more than we realise — how we consider opportunities, how we process information, and how we form habits. There is a lot of discussion about inequality, but one under-looked dimension of inequality is in the makeup of our social networks.”
Connecting with others outside your immediate social circle might be a new challenge for the site, he said.
“Facebook has been focused on helping you connect with people you already know. We’ve built AI systems to recommend ‘People You May Know.’ But it might be just as important to also connect you with people you should know — mentors and people outside your circle who care about you and can provide a new source of support and inspiration.”
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