Fifteen Years of Facebook: The Case for G.O.A.T.
The superlative G.O.A.T — Greatest Of All Time — leaves nothing to the imagination. Being tagged as the goat, however, may induce memories of the Curse of the Billy Goat, a 71-year curse bestowed on the Chicago Cubs, keeping the lovable losers from World Series glory. Is Facebook the Greatest of All Time or is it a curse?
If you are looking for why Facebook is the goat — the 75 year curse — click here. In this piece, we will muse the many ways Facebook is the Greatest of All Time.
The Case for G.O.A.T.
Across all sports, fans debate the athletic qualifications for whether their hometown hero surpassing all others. Jordan or Lebron. Ali or Tyson. Gretzky or Lemieux. Ruth or Bonds. Just listing two options here likely turned megafans apoplectic. What about [fill-in-the-blank]? When Quarterback Tom Brady deflates the Rams in Superbowl LIII, he will claim sole possession as the NFL’s superlative for quarterback G.O.A.T. over Montana, Marino and Manning [and fill-in-the-blank].
Despite all of Facebook’s missteps and apologies since 2/5/2004, they have changed the world. In their 2018 Q4 report, they:
· harvested 2.3 billion monthly active users
· monitored 1.5 billion daily active users
· gushed $16.9 billion in revenue
· earned $2.38 per share
· improved per user revenue 19 percent over last year
The U.S. market supplies just 11 percent (242 million) of their total user base but 50 percent ($8.4 billion) of their total revenue. All of this growth and prosperity follows many troubled years and a nasty 2018 with a scrutinized Congressional testimony, growing bad press on data leaks and breaches and questions about executive leadership and honesty.
One day after Superbowl confetti falls, The Facebook turns fifteen years old, having claimed their G.O.A.T title in 2010 when AdWeek proclaimed Facebook as the “Best Invention of the Decade” garnering 73% of responses. The enhanced Facemash beat out the iPhone, HD television and GPS navigation in the poll. For many, the title holds today.
In 2004, an above average intellect at an Ivy League college built a website that converted human activity into consistent years of quarterly billion dollar profits. They’ve spread into every populated continent, advanced AI to run a platform serving billions and built ad tools Madison Ave didn’t know they needed. In the era of Mad Men, Facebook showed how primitive Don Draper marketing was.
Google linked ads to specific results. Facebook linked ads to specific people.
They invented The Wall (sorry Pink Floyd). They invented the personalized News Feed (sorry RSS). They invented Tagging (apologies to playgrounds everywhere). They invented The Like (my regrets to Oxford’s dictionary).
They bought Zynga, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus.
They own your data. They own Madison Avenue.
They know your location.
They elected two presidents.
They stoked revolution.
They changed our view of privacy.
They will not be ignored.
There’s a name for someone who wins despite controversy, overcomes all obstacles, fumbles and gets the ball back, lucks into victory with blind referees, deflates the will of others and conquers opponents in the face of roaring opposition — G.O.A.T.
Likeability is not a factor in the G.O.A.T equation. It’s about wins and losses, dollars and sense. At the end of the day, when the championship ring fits and the bank balance is carrying nine zeros, you’ve entered the valley of the G.O.A.T.
Congratulations to Tom Brady and The Facebook. Their persistent success drives everyone mad with envy and confusion. They just keep winning. And winning. And winning.
When they return to their walled off homes and moated castles, they sleep soundly knowing they accomplished more than they deserved and took more than their fair share. Resentfully, we must declare them the Greatest of All Time.
