Meta's PR Strategy: Data Centers and Community Benefits

ask in return is that you let us build some data centers. The team is pumped because you're about to close a massive deal, but then the client's lawyers get involved. What happens if you get hacked? How are we going to protect your data? There's no need to panic. This is why you brought in YC. Y Security is staffed with over 40 experienced engineers who have actually worked security for worldclass companies like Apple, Uber, Microsoft, Robin Hood, Brex, and so many others. But the best part is you don't even need to hire Ysecurity. Your company can rent Ysecurities elite team by the hour. That means no massive salaries to pay. No costly consultants. Just real experts embedded in your company helping you out with your Sock 2 ISO 4200 or any security or compliance challenge you're facing. You can even set a monthly cap so you know exactly how much you're spending. And your first 6 hours are completely free. Head tocurity.io/ io/twist and book your free 6-hour strategy call. That's ysecurity.io/twist. At the same time this was happening this morning, I was listening to Morning Joe. In the morning, uh, I will switch back and forth while I'm having my coffee. CNBC, CNN, Fox, >> uh, MSN, MS Now, whatever it's called now, and I'll just zip through a couple of these things just to see what they're talking about because there's a really cool feature on YouTube, the quad, where it gives you all four and >> so I see this piece on Morning Joe about how great Zuckerberg's data center in Utah has been. Play this clip. >> Kind of engagement where a different data center proposal sailed through with [music] hardly any controversy at all. >> No controversy, Lon. There's no controversy here. >> What's inside here? Farm. >> Inside this shipping container is an educator's dream. A hydroponic farm tended by high school students. >> Sell their products at a farmers market. >> Oh, it's for the children. It's salad for children. And they're learning entrepreneurship. How did that happen in Utah? It's good lettuce. >> It's not bitter. No, the lettuce is not bitter. >> Dy Johnson is the former principal of Cedar Valley High School in the city of Mountain about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City. >> City is a little bit hydroponic farm funded by Meta Instagram and one of the country's biggest AI hyperscalers. Back in 2018 when the company announced plans to build this $2 billion data center on the edge of town, Johnson says she went to work. I started messaging Mark Zuckleberg right then. I'm like, >> "We're a new high school. We're not opened yet, but I want to work with you because I'm all about community partnerships." Right. >> Interesting. >> So, yeah, they gave me the money and here we have it and it's awesome. >> This is exactly what >> Cuban was saying million dollar. >> Remember that Mark Cuban quote where he was like just buy the communities off just >> corporate laresta didn't end there in this old rodeo. >> Here we go. So they got a quarter million dollars for the farm. >> Fastest growing city in the nation. >> Ninth fastest growing city. >> A literal cowboy and also the mayor. >> So anyway, I think you get the idea. The mayor is stumping for it. This and this was a data center built in 2018 in Utah, the same place where Kevin Oly is doing his data center. So MS now, which this felt like a commercial for Meta for me, like with the background music and everything like >> Yeah. I mean, you know, they're like these are these are big corporations behind MS Now. They're not against data centers, so it probably is kind of >> I mean, I don't know who owns MS Now now. Um, but um I'm not sure who the corporate interest here is, but it did seem to me >> they split off. It's Versant Media Group. That's the company that split off from NBC last year to run all of their cable networks. >> So, it's not part of NBC anymore. >> It's no longer part of Comcast. It was Comcast. Now, they're their own company called Versant Media. and they own CNBC. So, not to be like crazy conspiracy theorist here, but now you've got mainstream media saying, "Hey, you got it all wrong on data centers." The same day his manifesto drops, this is a full-on >> fullcourt press. Let us build data centers. We need to build data centers. It's going to be great for your community. You're going to get hydroponic farms. We're going to put in a new stadium. They even have in this little love letter to Meta that they started a soda pop store [laughter] at the high school where you have these like Italian delicious sodas from the pumps. And I was like, "Okay, we know what's going on here. There's so this is a absolutely constructed and I hate to do the media deconstruction here. There is a PR group for Meta that says, "How do we how can we turn the narrative on data centers around cuz we need to build more data centers. We need to catch up here." >> How can we do that? Let's talk about, hey, you're not going to lose your job. Check. We're going to give you a bunch of free software. Check. >> The world's going to be safer. You're not going to have terrorist attacks. You're going to have your own tutor for your child, your small business. We're going to give you software for that. And if you just learn how to use these tools, we're going to make them free for you for life. We're the group that's going to make super intelligence available for all all people for free. >> All we ask >> is that you let us just build some data centers. >> Yeah. It's a direct response to the big criticism which is always like, well, these data centers are coming in, they're sucking up all the water, they're using up all the power, and then what do we get out of it? They don't they don't create that many jobs. It's funneling all this money to, you know, the billionaire class, the Epstein class. Like, I feel like that's the narrative. So, this is trying to cut directly at the heart of that. Like, no, actually, here are all the things that you're going to get out of this data center being in your neighborhood. You're going to get out. >> I got to say it. Whatever PR firm, marketing comm's firm they gave $10 million to run this campaign and playbook, they should have given him 20 million. It's a good idea >> because it's working. This was done so well >> that MS now hit his manifesto. It makes you feel great about AI again. Whereas Daario and Sam Alman saying we got to come up with UBI and like this is half of all jobs are going away. That narrative scared everybody to death. And of course you don't want data centers. data centers are going to hack and nuclear bombs and dirty bombs and boweapons. My photo is going to get hacked. My eye messages are going to get hacked. My computer's going to be hacked. And we're going to have dirty water and my electrical bills going up. F this. >> Yeah. >> Now we're just going to turn the whole narrative around. Well done to the PR marketing team at Z uh at Meta. And I think actually it's a well-ritten manifesto. It was not written by AI. >> It was definitely not written by AI. I don't think it was written by Mark Zuckerberg. I think it was written by some professionals who came in and and and polished this because I agree with you. It's very compelling and it's well written. >> I feel it's his ideas though. He may have had somebody co-write it with them. But I think >> to my point earlier, I think he's taking control of the message. I think he actually believes what he's saying here. >> Interesting. >> Uh so >> I think there there's definitely ways to read it as as cynical, but uh yeah, it definitely is. >> What's the most cynical take you'll take here? Because I just gave I think it's actually how he feels. I think it's actually the direction he's going in. it's good for his business. And I think the the most cynical thing I can say is he wants to install data centers and he just wants to explain to people what they're going to get out of it. And it felt pretty even killed. >> Yeah. I think that's the most cynical take is that this is really like a largecale advertisement for like meta's agents like hey we're building all this stuff that you're going to love and it's going to help you and it's going to be built into the apps you already have and he's presenting it as I'm doing a public good. It's a public service intelligence for everyone, but he's really just promoting the the the the new agent coming to your phone via Meta. I I feel like that's the most cynical take. I don't know. >> I mean, if that's the most cynical take and they're dropping open source models today. They dropped Muse Glimmer. >> Yes. And >> do open. >> It's coming. >> And and he's going to do an openweight version of Muspark 1.2. Um, you know, the fact that he's releasing open source is proof in the pudding, you know. So, I I look at like I'm looking at it trying to be cynical and I don't find myself getting too cynical. I kind of believe him and I think this is the best version of Zuckerberg. I'll say it very clearly, this is the best version of Zuckerberg I've seen in his career. Now like my view on his career is irrelevant >> but I have seen it from the beginning and I think this is the most thoughtful approach I've seen him ever take >> and he is thinking about the ramifications of what he builds for the first time in the history of the company. I think they did not and and they said they didn't move fast break things. All we have to do is grow the stock price. All we have to do is grow the user base. Don't worry if we break things. Now, this seems like, hey, here are the things that can break >> and then here are the things that could break in your favor as a consumer. We're going to work on not breaking things and we're going to break the arc of history and this technology to you. It is a masterass. >> Let me just say this to Zuckerberg. This is a masterclass of a manifesto. I give him 10 of 10. No notes. >> Yeah, it is. It it takes a techno optimist sort of view, which I don't think you you you couldn't really say a lot of meta releases in the past felt that way. It usually feels like I'm going to get you super addicted to this feed that's going to make you feel fat and ugly. Like that's what the Instagram sort of pitch is in a weird way. Like doom, you're going to doom scroll this all day and you won't be able to quit. Whereas this I think at least we're