The odds are good but the goods are odd.
To be clear, Mark Zuckerberg is trash and could be doing a lot more with his money and power, but still look and everything the guy has built. At least he's not running around like Bill Gates pumping everyone full of experimental drugs and buying all the farmland.
Zuckerberg has been creating crypto infrastructure before crypto even existed.
I know what you're thinking... how could Zuck be creating infrastructure for something that didn't even exist at the time? The answer is that all open-source code is infrastructure for crypto. Crypto is the solution to monetizing open-source code. All open source projects feed into crypto and make it stronger, and vice versa, all crypto projects enhance the open-source code that isn't crypto. It's the ultimate synergy, and it's only just starting.
Taking a look at what Meta (formerly Facebook) has accomplished.
7 Facebook Open Source Projects Every developer Should Know
- React: Javascript frontend framework
- PyTorch: deep learning
- Jest: testing framework
- Docusaurus: static-site generator
- React Native: React for smartphone apps.
- Draft: markdown text editor
- Flow: version control
Think about how many paid developer hours went into creating this open source code that everyone has access to. No one cares because infrastructure isn't exciting. Did Mark need to create all this stuff to make Facebook? Arguably yes. Zuckerberg's company uses the code they create. Still they gave it away for free and anyone can use it.
And we do use it.
So many people (including Khal) use React to create their websites. In fact, MILLIONS of websites use react. Millions. It wouldn't exist if Facebook hasn't created it and given it away for free.
But...
Didn't Facebook give it away for free because it was beneficial for them to do so? After all, once code becomes open source, it can be upgraded by anyone and anyone can incorporate that code into their own project. Sure, but isn't that the point of crypto? Aren't we here trying to monetize and upgrade capitalism itself in a collaborative manner. The entire point of crypto is to monetize collaboration and sharing in a way that was previously impossible. We can't eliminate greed, but we can mitigate it by leaning into it with the proper incentives.
But you know what this list is missing?
Zuckerberg also created RocksDB.
You know who uses RocksDB to make their nodes cheaper and more efficient? Hive does... yep... so even if you're a Hive maximalist you still have to thank Zuckerberg for creating tech that we've leveraged into value for ourselves. Pretty weird.
Conclusion
I'd usually be the first one to talk shit about the guy, but honestly he's done a lot for crypto already and he gets none of the credit. Such is the burden of being an open source developer. Crypto seeks to change that and distribute value to those who deserve it.
Mark has fumbled a lot with crypto over the years, but I think he'll figure it out eventually. At least we can hope. Crypto could use more powerful people on this side of the line.