As Independence Day celebrations began across the country, Mark Zuckerberg posted a video to his Instagram account that quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of views. It certainly seems designed to go viral.
Zuckerberg is seen wakeboarding behind a speeding boat, wearing a tuxedo and sunglasses while drinking a Tallboy beer. The video is set to Bruce Springsteen's 1984 theme song, “Born in the USA.” In the 30-second video, the meth billionaire CEO shows off his surfing skills.
“Amazing!” commented Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez.
“This is content,” wrote gaming influencer @StoneMountain64.
“I was just doing my job,” Zuckerberg replied.
For Zach's supporters, the video is yet another example of the 40-year-old executive's attempt to reinvent his image, having transformed in recent years from a flip-flop-and-hoodie-wearing tech entrepreneur into a sleeker, Richard Branson-esque figure in Brunello Cucinelli T-shirts, silver chains and a passion for mixed martial arts.
“The PR team rehabilitating Zuckerberg continues their undefeated streak,” one X commenter said.
The video was a sequel of sorts to one Zuckerberg posted on July 4, 2021, in which he was seen riding a moving hydrofoil and carrying an American flag with John Denver's 1971 hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads” playing in the background.
The following year, Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself wearing an American flag cowboy hat and grilling sausages. “Smoking meat,” he wrote in the caption. “Happy Independence Day!” A post from last year featured a candid shot of Zuckerberg and his family.
Not much is known about which social media experts, if any, help Zuckerberg craft his posts, and a representative for Meta suggested he doesn't rely on image consultants. Meta representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If the intention behind Zuckerberg's patriotic post was to make himself appear more relatable to Americans, despite his net worth being roughly $181 billion, according to Bloomberg, it appears to have helped. Online reactions to this year's Fourth of July post were mostly positive, a marked difference from the satirical memes that slammed his 2021 hydrofoil post.
But some online observers pointed out an oddity in the video: its use of “Born in the USA,” a song often misconstrued as a cheer song, but which tells the tale of a Vietnam War veteran returning home to a lonely welcome and dire circumstances.
Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, who has long tried to organize a cage match between Zuckerberg and his tech rival Elon Musk, responded to the video in an affirmative manner, saying, “USA!!!!!”
Musk took a different view, writing to X: “I hope he continues to have fun on his yacht. I prefer working.”
