Chapter 5

Regarding the general plan and specific details of Facebook, Jin Jingcheng had already discussed them in detail with Mark Zuckerberg over the phone and through video calls in the past ten days. To further impress him, Jin Jingcheng recounted these matters today.

Mark Zuckerberg listened to Jin Jingcheng's explanation while sipping red wine. His originally somber mood brightened up, and his spirits soared.

After listening to Jin Jingcheng's detailed explanation, Mark Zuckerberg said, "I'm curious, why did you choose to collaborate with me? After all, we've never met before."

Jin Jingcheng knew Mark Zuckerberg would ask this question and had a strategy ready. He deliberately smiled and said, "If I say it's fate, would you believe me?"

Mark Zuckerberg blurted out, "Please, we're not kids. Don't use fate to fob me off. If you can't give me a concrete reason, I might start to doubt your intentions."

He spoke quickly, which made him seem rather carefree.

"Just a joke," Jin Jingcheng said with a smile, took a bite of the food, and sipped some red wine. His expression then turned serious. "Do you remember a music program called Synapse-Media-Player?"

Mark Zuckerberg's eyes lit up. "Of course I remember. It was a program I created in high school that used artificial intelligence to learn users' music listening habits. It was even posted on Slashdot and rated three stars by PC Magazine. Microsoft and AOL wanted to recruit and train me, but I refused."

When it came to programs, especially his achievements in programming, Mark Zuckerberg became particularly enthusiastic.

Jin Jingcheng felt a bit excited inside, knowing he was almost breaking through Mark's psychological defenses.

Jin Jingcheng nodded. "Yes, I know about that. You refused and chose to attend Harvard University."

Mark Zuckerberg's expression suddenly turned somber again, and he said with a complaining tone, "Now I'm a bit regretful. I thought Harvard University was an incredible place, but now I realize it's like a prison, a big prison. It not only restricts my personal freedom but also stifles my creativity."

Jin Jingcheng understood Mark Zuckerberg's thoughts. According to the historical timeline, the creation of Facebook was related to the constraints Harvard University placed on Mark Zuckerberg.

In the historical timeline, Mark Zuckerberg developed a program called CourseMatch in his sophomore year, in the second half of 2003. This program helped users choose courses based on the selection logic of other students. Later, he developed another program called "Facemash," which allowed students to choose the best-looking person from a set of photos.

At the time, Mark Zuckerberg did this just for fun. He had several books called Face-Books, which included students' names and photos. Initially, he created a website, uploaded a few photos, and placed two male and two female photos. Visitors could choose which one was the "hottest" and rank them based on the votes.

This competition lasted a weekend, and by Monday morning, Harvard University's administration shut down the website because the university's servers were overwhelmed, and students were not allowed to access it. Many students also complained that their photos were used without authorization. Mark Zuckerberg publicly apologized and stated in the school newspaper that it was an inappropriate action.

However, the website Mark Zuckerberg created for fun was later requested by students to develop into a campus website with photos and relationship details. Mark Zuckerberg was very happy when he heard this and decided that if the school didn't do it, he would. He planned to build a better website than the school.

Thus, on February 4, 2004, the Facebook social networking service website was officially launched!

In a sense, the creation of Facebook was a matter of serendipity.

Of course, the historical timeline would change because of the current Jin Jingcheng.

"Mark, can I call you Mark now?" Jin Jingcheng smiled. "Believe me, you are a very talented person, and you should believe in yourself. Your future will be very bright."

Shifting the topic, Jin Jingcheng returned to the main point. "So, if you agree to collaborate with me, it's giving yourself a chance. I believe you can already see that my Facebook plan holds tremendous potential value, and this is your area of interest and expertise. Why not seize the opportunity?"

Mark was convinced. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "I must admit, you are a very talented genius, very creative, and very persuasive."

He added, "Although I don't believe in fate, I have to admit that there is indeed a connection between us. To be honest, I had already planned to create a website for student communication at school in the near future, and I even fantasized about creating a social networking site for the masses. I didn't expect you to propose it in advance, with such a detailed plan and to find me."

Jin Jingcheng was secretly relieved. If he hadn't planned and implemented Facebook in time, history would have remained the same.

Jin Jingcheng remained calm and pressed on. "Mark, if you say that, I'll take it as your agreement."

Mark nodded. The pressure of studying, the awkwardness of real-life social interactions, and the shadow of a breakup all made him eager to prove himself. In his view, Jin Jingcheng's proposal was indeed a great opportunity for him.

"However, in terms of shares, I hope to hold 30%," Mark added.

According to previous discussions, Jin Jingcheng would not only provide the creative ideas and overall plan but also cover all the funding, so he would hold 55% of the shares. Mark would hold 25%, Tony would assist Mark and hold 10%, and Jose would be responsible for all legal matters and oversight of the company's performance, including Mark and Jose, and hold 10%.

After a brief moment of thought, Jin Jingcheng nodded resolutely. "No problem, I can give you 5% more shares. However, I want to emphasize that the creative planning and investment of Facebook are mine. Additionally, I have contributed three people, including myself. I hope you can see my sincerity in this."

The deeper meaning of these words was to remind Mark not to be greedy and not to cause trouble in the future.

Jin Jingcheng knew that Mark was a very proud person. To get him fully committed, he had to be generous from the start. Moreover, Mark was not easy to deal with, and to keep him in check, Jin Jingcheng had specifically brought in Jose and Tony.

Jin Jingcheng had a clear self-awareness. He knew he didn't have much talent in this area and didn't want to waste too much time and energy on it.

After the initial busy period, he could become the behind-the-scenes boss of Facebook, the chairman, while Mark would be the CEO, Tony would assist the CEO as the president, and Jose's role would be special and complex but not insignificant. If an analogy were to be made, Jose would not only be Facebook's legal weapon but also Jin Jingcheng's weapon in the company.

Of course, the current share distribution was just the initial one. As Facebook developed and expanded, the shares would inevitably change, but Jin Jingcheng was confident in maintaining his position as the largest shareholder and chairman. After all, he was also pursuing a master's degree in business from New York University's Stern School of Business, and he had some business acumen.

Mark suddenly asked, "Forgive me, but I know you are a graduate student. I'm not sure about the funding..."

Jin Jingcheng interrupted decisively. "Don't worry about the funding. Just focus on your part. I guarantee I can keep up."

Mark finally smiled and extended his hand to Jin Jingcheng. "Then, it's settled."

Jin Jingcheng shook hands with Mark.

Immediately, Jose took out a thick stack of legal contracts covering various aspects. Jin Jingcheng and Jose had spent two days and a night completing this contract. Jin Jingcheng, recalling the series of legal disputes Facebook faced in the past, had listed all the clauses to protect his interests, while Jose, the law doctor, was responsible for advising and drafting.

In a friendly and harmonious atmosphere, Jin Jingcheng, Mark, Jose, and Tony signed their names one by one.

When Jin Jingcheng signed, Jose and Tony looked at him with curious eyes.

They had always admired Jin Jingcheng, mainly for his academic achievements, but now their admiration had turned into respect. They felt that Jin Jingcheng was so steady and confident, yet not blindly so. They sensed a natural charm in him that attracted people to follow him.

Of course, the main reason was that they recognized the tremendous potential value of Facebook, which was very tempting. Who wouldn't think about their future? Especially for high-achieving students like them.

What puzzled them was where Jin Jingcheng had obtained the funding.

"OK, the signing is complete. In the next few days, Mark and Tony, you two will start writing the website's code. Jose, you should also investigate the potential issues that might arise in the early stages of the website. A few days later, the website will go live."

With these words, the Facebook that was originally scheduled to launch in February 2004 in the past timeline would now change history and launch in the summer of 2003!

...

That night, Jin Jingcheng, Jose, and Tony found a hotel near Harvard University to stay.

Mark, in high spirits, did not return to his dormitory at Harvard University but stayed in a double room with Tony. They started working on the website's code that night.

Jose was also busy in his room.

The biggest advantage of young entrepreneurs is their passion, and they had plenty of it.

Jin Jingcheng was no exception, but his passion was built on more rationality and a grasp of the overall situation.

Jin Jingcheng was not busy but was hesitating, not for any other reason, but for the funding.

At that moment, he was sitting on the edge of the bed. A black cloth bag was on the bed next to him, containing about $20,000 in cash. In his hand, he tightly held a mobile phone, the small screen displaying a long phone number, a Korean number, and a name.

The name had three characters: Jin Zhongguo.

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