In Zuck's defense, it's not just him, it's the entire American school of business.

They never learn. GM, GE, RCA, you name it. They always want to make more money now now NOW. They don't understand they're taking on a metaphorical loan. They don't understand the interest they have to pay.

It's the ultimate greedy algorithm. Just make the decision that makes the most money right now, every time, over and over and over again. Don't look at anything else.

They know, it's just that most of the people will be gone before the negative effects become apparent. Most senior people are only going to be around for 7.2 years so if they optimize for short/medium term benefits and cash out, the long term consequences won't affect them.

What makes you think “they don’t understand the interest they have to pay”?

They are optimizing for short-medium term profits. The people there in the early days pull the ejection code when the “interest” is due. The company coasts until some private equity runs the numbers and realizes the parts are worth more than the whole.

This is capitalism. You are using “interest” (a finance term) seemingly in a moral / ethical critique. If so, use a moral / ethical term instead.

It really about interest rates. Higher interest rates means more immediate revenue needed.

Social media was fueled by a decade of low interest.

They need not learn, they do as they’re primed, to go for profit, squeeze and profit, profit and profit some more. Then profit even from the dead husk on the way out. That’s the hyper capitalist lifecycle of a business product.