July 20, 2009 : The founding of Facebook

WHEN WE CONTINUE, AUTHOR BEN

MEZRICH WITH THE ACCIDENTAL

BILLIONAIRE.

BEN MEZRICH KNOWS HOW TO

HARVEST THE MINDS OF PLOTS AND

SCHEMES HATCHED AT LOCAL

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.

HE DID IT WITH BRINGING DOWN

THE HOUSE, A POKER CARD

COUNTING CON AT M.I.T., AND

NOW HE'S DONE IT AGAIN.

DISCOVERING HOW TWO UNLIKELY

HARVARD STUDENTS GAVE BIRTH TO

FACEBOOK.

THE BOOK IS THE ACCIDENTAL

BILLIONAIRES, THE POUNDING OF

FACEBOOK.

THE TALE OF SEX, MONEY, GENIUS

AND BETRAYAL.

AND BEN MEZRICH IS HERE.

LOVE IT.

LOVE THE BOOK COVER.

LOVE THE WHOLE THING.

HERE YOU COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN

THE STORY LINE BETTER.

YOU HAVE ALL THIS CONTROVERSY

GOING ABOUT THE WRITING STYLE

BECAUSE YOU CREATE SOME

DIALOGUE.

YOU COMPRESS THIS STORY LINES.

YOU DEAL WITH IT.

RIGHT UP FRONT IN THE EDITOR'S

NOTE.

>> I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY OPEN

ABOUT MY STYLE.

THERE'S A CERTAIN TYPE OF

JOURNALISTS THAT GET VERY

FRUSTRATED WITH THE WAY I

WRITE.

I'VE IMMERSED MYSELF IN THE

STORY.

I HAVE THOUSANDS OF FACEBOOK

COURT DOCUMENTS.

I TAKE THIS INFORMATION AND

WRITE IT LIKE A THRILLER.

I WRITE IT IN A STYLE WHERE I

TAKE THE SCENE AND WRITE IT

VISUALLY BASED ON THE FACTS.

SO IT'S STILL NON-FICTION BUT

IT'S A FORM OF NON-FIGURE SEAN

THAT CERTAIN TYPES OF JOURNAL.

>>S AT CERTAIN NEWSPAPERS HAVE

A REAL PROBLEM WITH.

>> Rooney: A LOT OF OTHER

JOURNALISTS HAVE DONE IT.

BOB WOODWARD CHIEF AMONG THEM.

>> LOOK AT ALSO JOHN ADAMS.

THEY'RE IMAGINING THE SNOW

OUTSIDE.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF

JOURNALISTIC... JOURNALISTS

WHO DO IT GOING BACK TO

THOMPSON.

IT'S A FORM OF NEW JOURNALISM.

WHEN I DO IT IT UPSES PEOPLE.

>> Rooney: BECAUSE YOU'RE SO

OPEN ABOUT IT.

>> PART OF IT IS I'M

INCREDIBLY OPEN ABOUT IT.

IT'S RIGHT IN MY AUTHOR'S

NOTE.

NEVER IN THE WORLD DID I SAY I

DIDN'T DO THIS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO GO

AFTER IT.

I ENJOY THE CONTROVERSY.

I THINK MY READERS LOVE WHAT I

DO.

THEY UNDERSTAND THE WAY I

WRITE.

>> Rooney: HOW DID THE MAIN

CHARACTERS... IT'S INTERESTING,

THIS CASE, BECAUSE THE ONE.

>> MARK ZUCKERMAN.

>> Rooney: HE WOULD NOT SPEAK

TO YOU.

>> I SPENT A YEAR TRYING TO

REACH MARK.

IT WAS WAITING AND WAITING.

HE WOULDN'T TALK TO ME.

FACEBOOK ITSELF IS TERRIFIED

OF THIS BOOK.

THEY SAY I'M A JACKIE COLLINS

OF SILICON VALLEY WHICH I

THINK SHOULD GO ON THE

PAPERBACK.

I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM ANYBODY

IN THE BOOK.

>> Rooney: EDWARDO.

>> HE CUT ME OFF VERY EARLY IN

THE PROCESS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK HE'S MY

MAIN SOURCE.

ORIGINALLY HE WAS BUT HE

ACTUALLY VANISHED HALFWAY INTO

THE BOOK.

I HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO HIM.

HE GOT VERY NERVOUS BECAUSE

HIM AND MARK WERE INVOLVED IN

A LAWSUIT.

I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM SEAN

PARKER OR THE WIGGLE BOSSES.

>> Rooney: THE WIGGLE BOSSES

ARE TWINS.

LET'S GO BACK FOR A SECOND

HERE.

>> SURE.

>> Rooney: THIS WHOLE FACEBOOK

THING WAS STARTED AS A PRANK.

THESE TWO GUYS OR AT LEAST ONE

OF THEM WANTED TO GET TO KNOW

SOME OF THE GIRLS IN THE

FRESHMAN CLASS AT HARVARD.

HE HACKS INTO A COMPUTER FROM

AND... INTO A COMPUTER THERE.

>> HE'S A GEEKY KID, COULDN'T

MEET GIRLS.

HE HACKED INTO THE COMPUTER.

PULLED UP PICTURES OF EVERY

GIRL ON CAMPUS.

HE MADE A HOT WEBSITE.

HE REALIZED WHAT IF PEOPLE

COULD PUT THEIR OWN PICTURES

UP.

THAT'S WHERE FACEBOOK CAME

FROM.

>> Rooney: WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

BECAUSE THE TWO OF THEM WORKED

TOGETHER INITIALLY AND THEN

ONE OF THEM SORT OF SPLINTERS

OFF AND STARTS TRYING TO

LAUNCH THE THING WITHOUT THE

OTHER GUY.

>> TWO BEST FRIENDS WHO MET IN

AN UNDERGROUND FRATERNITY AT

HARVARD.

WHEN MARK ALMOST GETS KICKED

OUT OF SCHOOL HE APPROACHES

HIS FRIEND EDWARDO AND SAID I

WANT TO START THIS SITE.

I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY.

EDWARDO PUTS UP $1,000.

HE HAD $300,000 FROM STOCK

TRADING IN THE SUMMER.

HE WAS A GENIUS AS WELL.

THEY LAUNCHED THE SITE

TOGETHER.

AS THEY MOVED FORWARD MARK

BASICALLY TAKES IT AND RUNS.

HE GOES TO CALIFORNIA.

HE BUILDS THIS ININCREDIBLE

COMPANY.

HE'S THE GENIUS BEHIND IT.

EDWARDO STAYS BEHIND AND

FINISHES SCHOOL.

THEIR FRIENDSHIP STARTS TOIST

RIFT.

WHEN THE COMPANY DOES WELL

MARK DOESN'T NEED EDWARDO

ANYMORE.

EDWARDO IS A SAD FIGURE.

HE REALLY WANTS TO BE A PART

OF IT BUT ISN'T PART OF IT

ANYMORE.

THEIR FRIENDSHIP FALLS APART.

>> Rooney: IS MARK STILL THE

PRIMARY....

>> MARK IS FACEBOOK.

>> Rooney: HE IS?

>> BUT A MONTH BEFORE THIS

BOOK CAME OUT EDWARDO WAS

REINSTATED AS CO-FOUNDER OF

FACEBOOK A LOT BECAUSE I

BELIEVE THIS BOOK WAS ABOUT TO

COME OUT AND EVERYONE KNEW

THAT EDWARDO WOULD BECOME MORE

KNOWN.

THEY PUT HIM BACK WHICH I

THINK LEGITIMIZES A LOT OF

WHAT I WRITE IN THE BOOK.

>> Rooney: YOU FOCUSED ON

GENIUS AT SOME OF THESE

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES,

M.I.T., OF COURSE.

I MEAN ARE THESE THE CREAM OF

THE CROP?

ARE THERE PEOPLE LIKE THIS

OTHER PLACES?

DOES HARVARD AND M.I.T.REALLY

NO HOW TO CULTIVATE.

>> I WENT TO HARVARD SO I'M

PARTIAL TO HARVARD.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A

LOT OF KIDS IN A LOT OF

SCHOOLS DOING THIS.

I THINK IF I WERE TO GO OUT

THERE TO EVERY SCHOOL I COULD

PROBABLY FIND SOMEONE.

MARK IS ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT

LEVEL.

THIS KID IS A GENIUS.

HE CREATED FACEBOOK.

YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING MORE

THAN THAT.

IT'S AN AMAZING THING.

A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE

TYPE OF KIDS I FOLLOW AROUND

WHICH ARE THE GEEKY KIDS WHO

SUDDENLY DO SOMETHING WILD.

IT HAPPENS AT EVERY SCHOOL I

THINK.

>> Rooney: THEIR ORIGINAL

COMPUTER SKILLS THEY HAVE

THESE.

>> MARK.

>> Rooney: ESPECIALLY MARK,

HAVE THESE GOING IN.

>> HE WAS A HACKER IN HIGH

SCHOOL.

>> Rooney: HE GOT IN TROUBLE

IN HIGH SCHOOL.

>> HE GOT IN TROUBLE IN HIGH

SCHOOL.

HE WAS ON SUPPOSEDLY ON ONE OF

THESE F.B.I. HACKER LISTS.

HE ALSO HAD CREATED A PIECE OF

SOFTWARE FOR MP-3 PLAYERS WHEN

HE WAS 17.

>> Rooney: HE TURNED DOWN.

>> MICROSOFT OFFERED HIM A

MILLION DOLLARS.

HE TURNS IT DOWN DIDN'T WANT

THE MONEY.

HE BELIEVED IN THE HACKER

CREED WHERE EVERYTHING SHOULD

BE FREE.

PART OF THE REASON WHY PEOPLE

ARE NERVOUS ABOUT HIM BEING

HEAD OF FACE BOOK IS HE

DOESN'T CARE ABOUT MONEY.

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT DRIVES HIM.

HE'S MORE OF A REVOLUTIONARY

THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

>> Rooney: WHY WOULD FACE BOOK

BE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS.

>> THEY KNOW THERE'S THINGS

THAT WENT ON, IN MARK'S SOFT...

SOPHOMORE YEAR OF COLLEGE,

THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS

GOING TO WRITE.

NOW THAT THEY'VE READ IT, I

DON'T THINK THEY'RE GOING TO

DISLIKE IT BECAUSE I'M THE

BIGGEST PROPONENT OF FACE

BOOK.

I THINK IT'S GENIUS.

I THINK MARK IS A GENIUS.

ALTHOUGH CRAZY THINGS WENT ON

IN THE CREATION OF IT OVERALL

I THINK IT'S A VERY POSITIVE

BOOK.

>> Rooney: HOW DOES THIS WORK?

YOU'VE WRITTEN THE STORY LINE.

THEY REALLY OWN THE STORY.

CAN THEY OPTION IT FOR A

MOVIE.

>> THIS IS A TRUE STORY ABOUT

PUBLIC FIGURES MOSTLY.

I RESEARCHEDITY NORM... I

RESEARCHED IT ENORMOUSLY.

THE STUDIO WILL TALK TO FACE

BOOK AND TRY TO WORK SOMETHING

OUT FOR SURE.

IN THE IT'S A TRUE SFOR...

STORY.

THE STUDIO BOUGHT THE RIGHTS

TO THE BOOK.

WHAT GOES ON NEXT I DON'T

KNOW.

>> Rooney: THIS IS A LITTLE

BIT SAD TOO.

NOT TRAGIC BUT SAD.

IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE

WHAT HAPPENS FOR BOTH OF THOSE

CHARACTERS NEXT.

>> I'M CURIOUS.

>> Rooney: BEN MEZ RICK,

TERRIFIC AS ALWAYS.

ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES.

>> I LOVE THE SHOW.

THANK YOU.

>> Rooney: READY OR NOT,

TOMORROW NIGHT A T-FARE

INCREASE IS ON THE WAY.

THAT PLUS COOL AND COLLECTED

TREASURES FROM THE ARCHIVES OF

THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIE LIBRARY.

WE'LL HAVE THAT AND MORE

TOMORROW AT 7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.

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