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Mark Zuckerberg is generally considered a rather reserved panelist who is not known for particularly explosive appearances. In conversation with Nvidia founder Jensen Huang at this year’s Siggraph 2024 developer conference (Denver, Colorado, July 28 to August 1, 2024) on artificial intelligence and the future of computer platforms, the Meta CEO was surprisingly clear. Online magazine Engadget reported, Zuckerberg went into a long monologue that ended with an unmistakable “Nah, fuck that.”
Closed platforms hinder innovation
Zuckerberg’s statement was actually about one thing: innovation. In his opinion, however, innovation is currently being hindered primarily by platform operators who exercise too much control over what is – and is not – allowed in their ecosystems. Too often, plans and projects have failed because the operators of these environments do not want to allow them. Zuckerberg specifically mentions Apple and the App Store, which he believes has won the race to become the dominant platform of the smartphone era, but whose device and software policies are hindering development.
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Openness as desired in Windows times
The Meta boss cites Microsoft as a counterexample. As the “winner” of the PC era, the company from Redmond (Washington State) may not be particularly open. However, Windows, as the leading operating system, runs as an open ecosystem on all kinds of hardware and products from a variety of manufacturers and has thus promoted the technical development of computers. For the coming era, which Zuckerberg says will be characterized by artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology, he hopes to see a return to this form of openness and software that can run on a wide variety of hardware. Meta is setting a good example here with the open source AI Llama. It is designed to be able to be installed and used across platforms.
Broken deal as reason for Zuckerberg’s words?
This harsh criticism of Apple is not surprising. Not so long ago, the Cupertino company and Meta in negotiations regarding the integration of “Facebook AI” in iOS 18. This lucrative deal reportedly failed due to data protection concerns, among other things. Apple has long been critical of Meta and has criticized its lax handling of user data for years. Too much openness can therefore also be an obstacle.
Source: German