Figuring Out Facebook

Read excerpts from the discussion below.
Morin: Facebook stands at the nexus of this incredible worldwide conversation and has the ability to influence that conversation in unprecedented ways, which is one reason it’s one of the most valuable companies in history. I’ve worked with Mark [Zuckerberg] for many years, and with a lot of the executives there. Censorship is not something that the company wants to do. Facebook has driven for more openness and more transparency in the world, and that's why China is one of the last countries Facebook hasn’t been able to interface with. Facebook’s mission is to make the world more open. To do that they have to interface with every country in a very authentic way. Otherwise they’re violating all of our trust.
Sternberg: If an experience on the Internet becomes inauthentic because it’s a public company and has pressure to put big ads on it, or because all of a sudden censorship is weaving through it, will it go into decline? If you focus on the user base and user experience first, you will continue to grow. Regardless of the pressures on you as a public company, if it’s all about the user, you will continue to grow.