January 09, 2025 01:47 pm (IST)
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Marc Andreessen comments on India deeply upsetting: Mark Zuckerberg
San Francisco, Feb 11 (IBNS): Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has distanced himself from a comment of his company's board member Marc Andreessen on India and colonialism.
Zuckerberg posted on FB: "I want to respond to Marc Andreessen's comments about India yesterday. I found the comments deeply upsetting, and they do not represent the way Facebook or I think at all."
Triggering a controversy, Andreessen had earlier posted a tweet which appeared to mean that Indians should have embraced colonialism.
Though he later deleted the tweet and apologised, he wrote earlier: "Denying world's poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, strikes me as morally wrong. Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?"
Zuckerberg in his fresh post clarified the position of Facebook saying: "India has been personally important to me and Facebook. Early on in my thinking about our mission, I traveled to India and was inspired by the humanity, spirit and values of the people. It solidified my understanding that when all people have the power to share their experiences, the entire world will make progress."
"Facebook stands for helping to connect people and giving them voice to shape their own future. But to shape the future we need to understand the past."
"As our community in India has grown, I've gained a deeper appreciation for the need to understand India's history and culture. I've been inspired by how much progress India has made in building a strong nation and the largest democracy in the world, and I look forward to strengthening my connection to the country," he posted.
Marc Andreessen earlier on Wednesday himself apologised after his comment on India and colonialism had triggered a controversy.
"I apologize for any offense caused by my earlier tweet about Indian history and politics. I admire India and the Indian people enormously," Marc Andreessen tweeted.
"India is an amazing country with amazing people. Indian companies and people have had profoundly positive effect on the Internet and world!," he said.
"I now withdraw from all future discussions of Indian economics and politics, and leave them to people with more knowledge and experience!" Andreessen tweeted.
Andreessen made the remarks at a time when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday issued the 'Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016', which disallows service providers to offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content being accessed by a consumer.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckeberg on Tuesday expressed disappointment over Indian government's decision on the issue of Net Neutrality.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckeberg on Tuesday expressed disappointment over Indian government's decision on the issue of Net Neutrality.
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