The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched2 / 4
Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Facebook, founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, is the social networking platform that grew into one of the world's largest online communities. By 2010 it had surpassed 500 million users. The year 2010 is recorded here because of the company's first great privacy crisis: the Beacon lawsuit settlement, the Instant Personalization backlash, and a wave of regulatory complaints that forced simplified privacy controls. Facebook itself did not fail — the event is a crisis survived, not a shutdown.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Company founded
Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from Harvard; the social network expands beyond colleges to the general public.
- Product issues reported
In March 2010 Facebook settles the Beacon privacy lawsuits with a $9.5 million fund; in April its Instant Personalization feature triggers a backlash from users, senators and privacy groups.
- Product issues reported
In May 2010 Zuckerberg announces simplified privacy settings after chat-exposure glitches and an FTC complaint; user protests include the Quit Facebook Day movement.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.