Thiel and Zuckerberg on Facebook, Millennials, and predictions for 2030 (2019)

Generational power, wealth transfer, and policy incentives

• Several commenters argue that any ruling generation, not just Boomers, will extract value from younger cohorts once in power.
• Demographic shifts (more retirees than workers) are seen as structurally locking in policies that transfer wealth from young to old via pensions, healthcare, and asset inflation.
• Some predict Millennials will behave similarly to Boomers in their 50s–60s because they’ll face the same incentives as voters and asset holders.
• Others counter that formative eras (e.g., Great Depression, current inequality) can change how a generation governs, creating cycles of reform and retrenchment.

Zuckerberg as “Millennial spokesman” and fame debate

• The idea that Zuckerberg is a generational “spokesman” or “most well-known” Millennial is widely mocked as delusional or sycophantic flattery.
• Long subthreads debate whether he’s actually more globally recognizable than pop stars, athletes, or royals, with no consensus.
• Some narrow the claim to “in tech,” which is seen as more plausible; others insist that even then it reads as grandiose.

Views on tech billionaires, power, and mental fitness

• Strong hostility toward Thiel, Zuckerberg, and other tech oligarchs: described as arrogant, mentally unwell, and corrupted by extreme wealth and power.
• Commenters argue that beyond a modest threshold, more wealth serves only power, not quality of life, and that society should constrain such accumulation.
• There’s worry about their political influence, from Thiel’s anti-democratic leanings to platforming extremists on social media.

Meta, social media, and manipulation concerns

• Facebook/Instagram are repeatedly compared to “big tobacco” in terms of harm to mental health, especially youth, including references to Meta’s own research.
• Some read the emails’ talk of loneliness and Millennials as genuine concern; others interpret it cynically as segmentation and manipulation of key demographics as Boomers age out.

Authenticity and satire confusion

• Multiple commenters initially assume the thread must be satire because the tone and ideas seem so exaggerated.
• Others provide links to the Tennessee v. Meta filings and insist the emails are genuine, prompting reflections on how close real elite discourse now feels to parody.

Boomers’ institutional grip and leadership ages

• The cited statistic about Boomer dominance among university presidents sparks follow-up estimates showing Boomers still heavily represented in academia and major corporations.
• Commenters see this as evidence of an unusually long generational hold on institutional power, with Gen X only partly breaking through and virtually no Millennial leaders yet.

Millennials, socialism, and system critique

• Thiel’s acknowledgment that Millennial support for socialism arises from debt and housing unaffordability is noted as unusually empathetic.
• This morphs into a heated socialism vs. capitalism argument, with examples from Venezuela, Europe, and the USSR; participants disagree on whether “socialism” is inherently authoritarian or context-dependent.

Meta-level distrust and regulatory appetite

• Several participants call for governments to “rein in” tech leaders before they do irreversible damage.
• There is broad distrust that these actors are motivated by anything other than self-interest, even when speaking the language of concern for younger generations.