The maturation of Mark Zuckerberg

Henry Blodget writing for New York Magazine:

“Mark has done two things in his twenties,” a colleague of Zuckerberg says. “He has built a global company, and he has grown up.” The second one made the first possible. When early mistakes risked an employee mutiny, Zuckerberg knuckled down and learned how to lead. He made himself the pupil of some of the best bosses in business but had the maturity never to let outsiders sway his overall vision. He got adept at hiring the right people, and, more important, firing senior employees whom the company had outgrown.

Zuckerberg is clearly a very smart guy and has evolved on some things. Yet there’s other aspects, mostly centered around privacy and design, that he has far to go. Also Blodget credits too much to Zuckerberg directly; engineering, PR and other groups have really helped solidify Facebook’s social lead.

I think we’ll find Zuckerberg’s state several years from now a more interesting question. Will growth slow? Will there be a “next big thing” that will force Facebook to address competition?