Mark Zuckerberg: Even The Smartest Genius Can't Start A Company Alone
Win McNamee / Getty Staff Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg thinks that the media's portrayal of what it takes to start a company often discourages people from trying to do it themselves.
At his most recent town-hall-style question-and-answer session , someone asked Zuckerberg to talk about "the exact moment" when he decided to build Facebook.
Zuckerberg laughed and then explained that the idea for any company doesn't come in one moment, but through talking and thinking about something for a long time.
He then added that one person's efforts are never enough. The media often simplifies what it takes to build a startup, he says, making it seem like it there's always one person with a genius idea who manages to build a great company.
Instead, he argues, you need a bunch of people working on an adaptive concept together for a long period of time. You don't need to be a prodigy to start your own cool company — you just need to be passionate and focused. Zuckerberg went as far as to say that the media's portrayal of startups actively discourages people from trying to create a business themselves.
"It's not as crazy and challenging as the media makes it sound," he said. "It's more accessible."
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