Last updated on July 29, 2020 - My Free Marketing newsletter 👀
At Facebook: We made every single decision through the filter of “Does this help user growth?” If a feature did, we would make it, if not we wouldn’t.
Personal Story: One time I came to Mark with an idea to monetize Facebook, and all he did was write “GROWTH” on a whiteboard. He wasn't interested in monetizing in the early days, only in user growth.
Why? A big vision is what motivates people to get up and come give their best at the office. It gives employees a sense of purpose beyond money.
At Facebook: In 2005 Mark was saying that he wanted to connect the world.
Personal Story: When I was at FB all I did was think/talk/dream about Facebook. Facebook was my girlfriend. It didn’t feel like a job, so I put in all my hours.
Why?
At Facebook: the people I worked with there were the smartest people I’ve ever worked with (all Ivy leagues from Stanford & Harvard). I never felt like the smartest person in the room.
At AppSumo: I only want to work with IMPRESSIVE people. If someone’s not impressive I don’t work with them.
At Facebook: We shipped several updates to the site every day. In comparison companies like Microsoft would take months to write out product details, discuss them in a lot of meetings, and finally build them.
At AppSumo: Move fast is one of our "Sumo-isms".
Why?
At Facebook: The list of perks EVEN in the early days was endless!
Why?
At Facebook: Everyone working there was in love with the product we were building. It’s all we would talk/think/dream about.
At AppSumo: I started AppSumo because I loved tech products and deals...
This one is controversial... The truth is, users/customers often don’t know what they want.
Why? Customers often don’t know what they want, and they’re not spending as much time thinking about the product as you are.
At Facebook:
Personal Story: Users hated the newsfeed when it first launched -they felt like it invaded their privacy. After a couple of weeks, they loved it.
Why? How you do the small things represents how you do everything else. If you mess up the small things people won’t trust you for the bigger things.
At Facebook:
Personal Story: Mark gifted me the book Elements of Style by Strunk and White (a grammar book) for Hanukkah 🙂
Why?
At Facebook: Engineers and product managers could come up with features and build them out without needing anyone’s approval.
At Facebook: Mark removed the people that were holding Facebook back immediately and he quickly promoted the ones that were helping FB achieve its goals
Personal Story: I got fired from Facebook...
Why? Humanizing the people that use your products allows you to serve them better. You’re able to better relate to the problems they're facing vs just looking at numbers.
At Facebook: Mark would literally yell at you if you used the word "user".
At OkDork: You guys watching/reading aren’t just viewers/readers, you’re people with hopes, dreams, aspirations! Love you guys!
At Facebook:
Personal Story: Mark’s apartment was the definition of minimalism. A small bed, some clothes, and a teapot. That’s it. Barely any dishes or food, no TV, no internet.
In my personal life: I’m a millionaire but I still drive a Miata, life in a small house, eat at Taco deli...
Why?
At Facebook:
4 responses to “What I Learned From Working With Mark Zuckerberg”
Ammar Jalil
I have no idea what you are talking about
Thanks for these tips! I'm going to put them on my mirror to remind myself every day. My fav is the first one, if it doesn't drive me toward my goal, don't do it.
I have Read so many Articles,
To do but all those are very time waste, blah,
blah, but when i read you article it makes me to do something quickly, thanks so much i will implement this into action very soon ,
Thanks so much for saving my life