Sure, you don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies, but can you make billions of dollars without a scandal?
Walking into the movie, I was under the impression that most of the story was made up. I was so intrigued by the story that it told that I researched what I could to figure out how untrue it actually was. I figured those that have seen The Social Network may be wondering the same thing, so here’s what I found:
The movie was based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by journalist Ben Mezrich. As you can guess, neither the book nor the movie took CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s word into consideration. Mezrich in his author’s note says that the book “is a dramatic narrative account based on dozens of interviews, hundreds of sources and thousands of pages of documents, including several records from court precedings.” Mezrich says Zuckerberg declined to interview for the book.
The main questions I have about the true story of Facebook is regarding the heartwrenching scene of The Social Network when you find out Saverin’s shares were diluted down to close to nothing. According to the book The Facebook Effect (a book that Zuckerberg defiantly prefers over The Accidental Billionaires), Saverin’s shares were significantly cut, but just below 10 percent, not .03 percent. Saverin received $1.2 billion after the settlement, so I’m sure he’s a little more than past it now.
Other details can be sorted out in these articles, such as did Zuckerberg really blog while creating Facemash? (yes). What I wish I could uncover is the truth behind the friendship between Zuckerberg and Saverin. I think it’s safe to say that will stay between the two.
I don’t think The Social Network is a fictional movie, like many have coined it. However, it illuminates the darkest aspects of the story and it’s a sure thing that much was left out of the tale that revolutionized communication.
Sources
http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/thesocialnetwork.php
Original article from The Crimson after Facemash
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/business/media/21facebook.html?_r=4&pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Mezrich, Ben. “The Accidental Billionaires”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/movies/19social.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=the%20social%20network&st=cse