A Facebook representative confirmed on Tuesday that Zuckerberg, has “no plans” to run for president.
Multiple outlets report, Zuckerberg said he is focusing on two things: growing Facebook and his Chan Zuckerberg Initiative – a $45 billion philanthropy organization.
However, this news comes after Zuckerberg acquired a science search engine startup. Revealed plans to visit every state in the United States. In addition, to text messages hinting at the possibility of Zuckerberg getting involved in politics.
Zuckerberg’s Search Engine Startup
On Monday, Chan Zuckerberg initiative acquired an Artificial Intelligence (A.I) based science search engine startup called Meta. Meta’s mission is to make it easier for scientists to search millions of researcher papers using their A.I. based software. The CEO and co-founder of Meta, Sam Molyneux, writes in a statement, “Going forward, our intent is not to profit from Meta’s data and capabilities; instead we aim to ensure they get to those who need them most, across sectors and as quickly as possible, for the benefit of the world.”
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has a $3 billion investment to cure all diseases. In a statement, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative explained how the program could be used to help scientists:
“The potential for this kind of platform is virtually limitless: a researcher could use Meta to help identify emerging techniques for understanding coronary artery disease; a graduate student could see that two different diseases activate the same immune defense pathway; and clinicians could find scientists working on the most promising Zika treatments sooner,” the Cori Bargmann, President of Science, and Brian Pinkerton, Chief Technology Officer of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative said on Facebook.
“In the long run, it could be extended to other areas of knowledge: for example, it could help educators stay up to date on developmental science to better understand how children learn.”
Zuckerberg’s personal challenge for 2017
Earlier this month, Zuckerberg revealed his personal challenge for 2017. The CEO of Facebook plans to visit all 50 states. Zuckerberg reports he plans to visit universities, meet teachers, scientists and location Facebook users recommend across the United States.
“Going into this challenge, it seems we are at a turning point in history,” Zuckerberg explains. “For decades, technology and globalization have made us more productive and connected. This has created many benefits, but for a lot of people it has also made life more challenging. This has contributed to a greater sense of division than I have felt in my lifetime. We need to find a way to change the game so it works for everyone.”
Zuckerberg’s text messages
Facebook’s board of directors voted in favor of Mark Zuckerberg to sell a large portion of his shares of the company. However, he would still maintain majority voting control in the social network. Last year, Facebook’s board of directors were sued after after investors claimed that the board was not working in their for their best interest for allowing that to happen.
As a result, last December, court filings showed text messages between Facebook board member Marc Andreessen and Mark Zuckerberg. One text message alluded to the possibility of Zuckerberg running for office. Andreessen texted Zuckerberg saying: “how to define the gov’t service thing without freaking out shareholders that you are losing commitment.”
Andreessen later texted, “I think the biggest remaining issue is still around the government service.”
Zuckerberg’s ties to government and public policy is not new. For example, Zuckerberg held a fundraiser for the former head of Donald Trump’s transition team and governor of New Jersey Chris Christie. Zuckerberg previously donated $100 million towards Newark’s school system. In addition, during the Presidential election Zuckerberg defended one of Facebook’s initial investors and board members Peter Thiel who is also a close advisor to President Donald Trump. In fact, a recent report by Politico suggests that Thiel is currently considering a bid to run for governor of California.