Mark Zuckerberg wants to be like Augustus Caesar. How close is he?

We scored it based connected 5 categories: nan stars, their youth, emergence to power, wide vibe and popularity, and effect connected nan world.

Have you ever looked astatine Mark Zuckerberg's hair? Like really, really looked astatine it? If you did, you mightiness get nan first whiff of nan Facebook CEO’s long-held obsession.

Mark Zuckerberg wants to beryllium conscionable for illustration Augustus Caesar.

Zuckerberg told The New Yorker successful a 2018 profile that he started studying Latin successful precocious schoolhouse astatine Phillips Exeter Academy successful New Hampshire. It was location that Ancient Rome became his Roman Empire — a taxable that has continued to fascinate him. 

"You person each these bully and bad and analyzable figures. I deliberation Augustus is 1 of nan astir fascinating," Zuckerberg told The New Yorker. "Basically, done a really harsh approach, he established 2 100 years of world peace.” 

In lawsuit you aren't up to day connected your Roman history, Augustus is not nan worst of nan Caesars — that would beryllium his awesome uncle and adopted father, Julius. While Augustus had room to beryllium worse, that didn't make him nan best. He did a batch of conquering: Egypt, bluish Spain, and a awesome woody of cardinal Europe. He killed people. He banished his allegedly promiscuous daughter. His heirs kept mysteriously dying.

"What are nan trade-offs successful that?" Zuckerberg told nan magazine. “On nan 1 hand, world bid is simply a semipermanent extremity that group talk astir today. Two 100 years feels unattainable.” On nan different hand, he said, "That didn’t travel for free, and he had to do definite things."

He told nan mag that he liked nan Latin connection because it reminded him of coding aliases math. He named his 2nd girl August. He took his honeymoon successful Rome wherever his wife, Priscilla Chan, told him that location were 3 group present: him, her, and Augustus. "All nan photos were different sculptures of Augustus," he told nan magazine.

Clearly, Zuckerberg is emulating nan infamous ruler. But really adjacent are they? Let's people it, based connected 5 categories I person wholly made up: nan stars, their youth, their emergence to power, their wide vibe and popularity, and their lasting effect connected nan world. Each class is worthy 1 point.

The stars

Caesar was calved connected September 23, 63 BC making him a Libra. Mark, a Taurus (and Scorpio moon), was calved connected May 14, 1984. Their signs are not peculiarly compatible. The only point they person successful communal is their shared ruler, Venus, making them lovers of art, luxury, and romance, according to InStyle. Caesar was famously calved successful Rome, while Zuckerberg was calved successful nan acold little glamorous White Plains, New York, making them worlds isolated some astrologically and geographically.

The brace is not a lucifer for nan stars. No points.

Score: 0

Subtotal: 0/5

Their youth

Both Caesar and Zuckerberg learned their trades astatine an early age. Zuckerberg's begetter hired a backstage tutor to thatch him really to codification and, successful precocious school, he built "ZuckNet," a package programme that connected each nan computers betwixt his family's location and his father's dental office. He besides created a euphony subordinate called Synapse Media Player, benignant of for illustration an earlier type of Spotify. 

When Caesar was 15, he had a ceremonial that made him a man successful nan eyes of nan rule and was elected to nan College of Pontiffs, a assemblage of nan authorities responsible for nationalist and backstage sacrifices, among different responsibilities. The pursuing twelvemonth he took complaint of nan Greek games.

I'm giving nan duo a afloat constituent for this section.

Score: 1

Subtotal: 1/5

Rise to power

Timing-wise, this is beautiful spot-on. Both Zuckerberg and Caesar recovered their powerfulness while they were studying, nan erstwhile launching Facebook, past called TheFacebook, while astatine Harvard and nan second taking his spot arsenic heir to nan throne while studying and undergoing subject training successful Illyria. They some faced immoderate first pushback — Zuckerberg by his co-founders and Caesar by Mark Antony. The large quality present is that we each knew Caesar was going to go nan large boy successful complaint — but we thought Zuckerberg was conscionable immoderate nerd who wanted to remake MySpace. Our unfortunate preconceptions aside, they aligned connected this one.

You get a point.

Score: 1

Subtotal: 2/5

General vibe and popularity

People respected Augustus. When he died, he was declared a god. He didn't person nan aforesaid swagger and charisma arsenic his awesome uncle Julius, but nan betterment he implemented made him beautiful beloved by nan Roman people. He transformed Rome from a republic to an empire, brought bid to nan Roman world, and made law and financial reforms that won him immoderate beautiful important popularity.

People do not for illustration Mark Zuckerberg. Only 23 percent of Gen Z respondents successful 1 study recovered Zuckerberg trustworthy and, according to a study from Pew Research Center, 77 percent of each Americans person "little aliases nary spot successful leaders of societal media companies." People don't spot him, don't deliberation he's charismatic, his hobbies springiness america nan ick, and his creation makes america wonderment if it's destroying everything bully we've travel to love.

No points.

Score: 0

Subtotal: 2/5

Effect connected nan world arsenic we cognize it today

Both Augustus and Zuckerberg person had lasting effects connected nan world arsenic we cognize it. Of course, this is easier to opportunity astir Augustus than it is of Zuckerberg. Caesar ruled for complete half a century, group up institutions and a template that lasted 200 years aft that, and rather virtually transformed Rome from a republic into an empire, restoring bid and prosperity to nan Roman authorities and changing astir each facet of Roman life.

Zuckerberg has besides changed astir each facet of modern life. While it’s debatable whether it's been a alteration for nan better, we can’t disregard that we communicate, work, vote, participate successful society, love, and unrecorded successful a different world because of nan societal media ecosystem Zuckerberg made.

Points each around.

Score: 1

Total: 3/5

In nan end, nan 2 are somewhat similar. They're some leaders who sewage early starts and who wield terrifying power. And some of them look to beryllium aliases person been, astatine bid pinch nan trade-offs of those decisions. According to my math, Mark Zuckerberg is 60 percent Augustus Caesar. But there’s still room for improvement. 

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