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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gets merciless SNL treatment

Commentary: To warm him up for his congressional appearances this week, Zuckerberg is presented by the late-night show as a desperate nerd with a childish, maniacal laugh.

Chris Matyszczyk
2 min read

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


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Still confident of his own talents.

SNL/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

It's been a difficult couple of weeks for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

He's had to face a chorus of criticism, after it was revealed that Facebook data had allegedly been scraped by possibly nefarious actors at Cambridge Analytica.

To make things worse, this week he has to meet with another disturbing troupe of actors -- members of Congress.

So Saturday Night Live thought it would warm him up with an appearance on its "Weekend Update" segment.

Sadly, this wasn't the real Zuckerberg, but Alex Moffat stepping into the gray T-shirt. 

Still, he presented the same confident, nerdly figure that we see in real life. With an added childish, maniacal laugh.

He was asked whether he was going to resign.

"According to our data sets, I don't have to and you can't make me," Zuckerberg said in a remarkably accurate depiction of the actual facts of Facebook's governance.

He then claimed he wanted to personally apologize to all 87 million people whose data had allegedly gone astray in the Cambridge Analytica debacle. He wanted to do it one-by-one, while revealing the precise intimate details of what users had been doing. 

The faux Facebook CEO then proceeded to show how funny he is. Or, rather, how funny he thinks he is. To underline this funniness, he adopted a laugh that would make a hyena puts its paws over its ears.

There was, of course, the question of whether users will be able to delete their data. Moffat as Zuckerberg said no. 

Asked why, he replied: "Because it's mine. You gave it to me. No backsies. And if you don't like it, you can suck it," he said, with another yelping laugh. Or five.

He is, of course, right. Users gave his company all their data quite freely, perhaps not quite realizing what Facebook might do with it.

As he carefully explained, yes, perhaps Facebook "sold out our democracy to Russian trolls farms," but in return people got Farmville. Talk about a fair exchange.

Facebook didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The New York Times reported Sunday that Zuckerberg is receiving special training for congressional appearance. 

I'm sure it will make for riveting viewing. And not a little comedy.

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