Goodbye, Hoodie: Facebook Grows Up

What's This?

Mark Zuckerberg speaks to the audience at Facebook's F8 developer conference on April 30, 2014.

Image: Mashable, Karissa Bell

By Lance Ulanoff2014-04-30 17:09:20 -0400

Standing in front of thousands of Facebook developers at the company’s third F8 conference, a reflective Mark Zuckerberg, sans hoodie, spoke from the heart. He noted the social media giant’s 10th birthday in February and his impeding 30th, on May 14.

Zuckerberg had taken stock of his life and loves (his wife, Facebook and philanthropy), and realized he wanted Facebook to be different. “My goal for the culture of Facebook is to build a culture of loving the people we serve that is as strong if not stronger than hacking at Facebook," he said.

Remember those words, because on Wednesday, this speech and this F8 will likely be remembered as a turning point for Zuckerberg and Facebook. It’s the day they grew up.

See also: Facebook for Android: 10 Tips for Power Users

Zuckerberg’s reaction to turning 30 is not that surprising; most people grow reflective as they make the transition from youth to adulthood. However, it's remarkable how that more responsible, measured and rational approach permeated the entire F8 keynote and virtually every new plan and initiative Facebook unveiled during the roughly one-hour talk.

Zuckerberg told the audience that Facebook’s mantra of “Move Fast and Break Things” would be replaced with the less pithy “Move Fast with Stable Infra.” It’s not very catchy, but is a perfectly adult mantra for a company that’s clearly maturing and anxious to build strong relationships with thousands of developers and partners relying on Facebook to help them build the next big thing in socially connected mobile apps.

The big goal: To build a stable platform. When you talk stability and put it up on the marquee, the message is clear: Your partners are the priority, not delivering shiny new objects.

Zuckerberg's promises were nothing short of stunning. Facebook app developers can now rely on a guarantee of two years of stability for Facebook APIs and login. So even as Facebook works to upgrade and iterate, third-party developer apps will still work just fine, the company promised.

Facebook also unveiled API versioning to help with compatibility and, more importantly a 48-hour turnaround on all major bugs. It’s a very customer- and partner-centric approach that is the hallmark of a grown-up company.

Let’s profit together

Zuckerberg also talked about putting “people first,” but it’s really the current and potential Facebook developers that Facebook is putting front and center. It’s a canny approach as Facebook tries to convince everyone else to hop on the mobile express.

Even the structure of the keynote and F8 in general is focused less on high-level Facebook innovation and more on hand-holding for developers who may not believe or understand Facebook’s intense mobile focus: Build, Grow and, of course, Monetize. On the last point, Facebook used honesty to help drive home its message.

Aside from Zuckerberg’s speeches, which bookended the keynote presentations, Debbie Lui — who focuses on apps and monetization for Facebook — offered the most compelling argument for app developers adopting Facebook’s mobile approach. She told them frankly that two years ago, Facebook was the No. 1 app in the App Store, but wasn’t making a dime in mobile. Now, mobile accounts for 60% of Facebook’s revenue. One of developers’ key questions is, “How do I make money on mobile?”

Lui outlined how Facebook did it and reminded developers that the social platform demands ads that are “integrated, not disruptive.”

This wasn’t just lip service. Facebook also unveiled its Audience Network, designed to take the burden off defining audiences, tracking reports and managing billing. It’s simply another instance of how Facebook is acting like the adult in the room by handling tasks the partners may not be able to do on their own. It’s also Facebook’s way of saying, “We’re good partners, here to help you as much as you can help us. So come on in, the mobile app water is fine.”

Yes, privacy matters

Zuckerberg once said that privacy is no longer a "social norm." However, the nearly 30-year-old Facebook founder and CEO now clearly see things a bit differently. The decision to allow anonymous login through apps connected to Facebook is huge shift that could lead to similar allowances on Facebook’s own mobile app and desktop experiences. It’s also another sign of an adult who realizes he may want more control over his life and information.

Additionally, Facebook is now pushing granular login control to apps. Zuckerberg said he wants people to “Trust the Blue Button” they see on third-party apps; I think he finally understand that without some control, there is no trust. Facebook and Zuckerberg will, at least in this instance, no longer imperially direct what apps can and can’t do on Facebook. I’m not saying anything goes, but clearly more control is being pushed out to partners and users on third-party apps than ever before.

You can count on me

At last, you can count on Facebook to hold a developers conference every single year.

Such dependency is not just common courtesy, it’s another clear sign of adulthood. Zuckerberg knows that Facebook cannot survive the next 10 years on his own. He still wants to grow and innovate, but instead of assuming Facebook partners will do his bidding and help grow the platform, Facebook is now actively trying to help them build, grow and make money.

When you hit a milestone age like 30, people are quick to tell you, “Don’t worry, 30 is the new 20.” That, of course, is a lie. Ten years older is 10 more years of experience, with lows and highs, bad and good.

As Zuckerberg somewhat emotionally noted, it’s been a decade since he met his wife and, though he didn’t directly mention his efforts to deliver broadband to developing nations, that notion is never far from his mind (Internet.org is part of F8).

Zuckerberg at 30 is obviously less self-centered than Zuckerberg at 20 (or even Zuckerberg at 25). He’s focusing less on “Mark” and more on the world of people using or hoping to use and connect with his product. It’s a transition we’ve seen among other industry icons, from Steve Jobs to Bill Gates.

No one and no company is young forever. You can operate with the same drive and intensity as a startup, but the wisdom that comes with experience is worthless unless it's applied. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook are finally ready to put away the hoodie and contemplate adulthood.

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Topics: Apps and Software, Dev & Design, f8, Facebook, mark zuckerberg, Social Media