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May 30, 2012

Zuckerberg The Jerk

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook who is a newlywed (to a non-Jew) and suddenly worth about $20 billion, is catching a lot of flak today.

The newly married Zuckerberg couple are honeymooning in Europe. They have been publicized by a couple of different waiters around Europe for having sat in the restaurant and enjoyed a good meal, yet did not leave a tip for the waiters or waitresses who served them. This happened in at least two restaurants (from which it was made public by the waiter), one of them being a kosher restaurant in the Jewish Quarter of Rome.

Zuckerberg is a jerk. Everybody "knows" that. That is his reputation and it is supposedly well-deserved. That is probably how he made Facebook so successful (not including the recent IPO).

Personally I was more surprised to discover that he bothered to eat in a kosher restaurant than to hear that he did not leave a tip.


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12 comments:

  1. Apparently in Italy it is not customary to tip as service is generally included in the bill - although not always. Having never been to Rome I wouldn't know if this is true. Thus the facts need to be ascertained on this critical news item....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Google tipping in Italy and decide for yourself. And perhaps do that minimal amount of research before blogging in the future.

      Delete
    2. Warren Burstein has advised contributors to "do that minimal amount of research before blogging in the future"

      Warren Burstein would do well use use that minimal amount of politeness and דרך ארץ when commenting on someone else's blog.

      Rafi and his readers managed very nicely before you burst in, Warren Burstein, and we shall doubtless manage equally well after you have slammed the door behind you.

      Delete
    3. I see that you also follow Failed Messiah, so it's clear to me why my comment was just too much for you.

      Delete
  2. Yeah, that it was a kosher restaurant was the surprise for me too.
    But not tipping? Honestly, has Zuckerberg ever had to face any consequences for negative actions he might have done? Why should he know anything about showing gratitude to the little people?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sure that "Anonymous" has met Zuckerberg, as has Rafi (G), so they can honestly and fairly call him a "jerk". But for the rest of us, Aaron Sorkin, who wrote "The Social Network", has said that the impression he gave of Zuckerberg in the movie (i.e., being a "jerk") was made up, in order to make a better story. He also joined Buffett and Gates in a pledge to give at least half of his wealth to charity. Sounds like a big jerk to me, but I, unlike some other, have never met him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I made clear that this was his reputation and everybody "knows" it. I obviously never met him and was only pointing out his reputation. If it was made up, Zuckerberg should sue him for defamation.

      On the other hand, I think the not leaving a tip is indication that he is a jerk. I was just saying that fits with his reputation.

      Delete
  4. I used to travel to Italy quite often for business. Waitering in Italy is a real profession with a real salary paid. You routinely see middle-aged men waitering and they've cone it as a career since leaving school. Tipping is generally NOT required or expected, in fact most receipts don't even provide a space for a tip. People do traditionally leave a small bit of change, but even that isn't universal and usually only applies when paying the bill with cash (cash is still used in Italy for almost every daily expense).

    Restaurants typically add something called "pane e coperto" (literally "bread and cover [charge]") to the bill to cover [part] of the expense of service. And this amount is almost always per person and varies from a small amount (a few euro) at less expensive eateries (trattorias, etc) to quite a large amount (even 10+ euro!) at high-end ristorantes (restaurants, etc).

    That said, I still almost always tip when in Italy. More than once, though, I've tipped 15% or so and the waiter insisted on returning most of the extra money! My feeling over the years is that just under 10% is acceptable, over that is perceived as "haughty" somehow. I still think he's a jerk, he should have at least placed a 5 euro coin with the bill or something like that!

    ReplyDelete
  5. A commenter on the article about this in the Forward says that this restaurant is no longer Kosher. I also couldn't find it on the Shamash database. I don't want to spread false information so if someone could verify this, that would be best.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just noticed the editor's note at the bottom of the article that seems to confirm this information.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Z may have thought it was kosher, and chose it because he wanted meat. Maybe he thought it was trustworthy. I read somewhere that he usually 'kashers(?) his own meat' as he doesn't trust butchers. That's all I understand about it. I also heard in a shiur that the nature of some men is more suited for slaughtering, to assuage that nature. Probably in the Gemorah. But what I'm getting at, is that whenever I see his face he always has this "empty grin on his face and glassy look in his eyes" that makes me cringe.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Could it be his Logo in his Hoodie correspondents with Shamash? I've been doing some research on it and the Jewish Numerology. It all makes sense to me now. The ultimate Power.

    ReplyDelete

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