Mark Zuckerberg wore a tie to work every day for one year back in 2009. At the end of the year, he wrote on this personal Facebook page: Facebook tells us it’s been a serious year for us. Great companies grow during recessions by investing more while other companies cut back. But great companies also make sure they are financially strong and sustainable. My tie symbolized how serious and important this year was, and I wore it every day to show that. ”
Two days of testimony before Congress to address your company’s alleged involvement in the inappropriate sharing of tens of millions of users’ personal information is also serious and important. This morning, Zuckerberg was seen wearing a tie again and a shiny new suit, which, by the way, didn’t do much to hide the creepy look on his face. The next 48 hours are certainly going to be tough for the 33-year-old hoodie-and-flip-flops genius who started Facebook from his Harvard dorm room despite a shoulder injury. Zuckerberg has certainly come a long way since then, as has Facebook, but still, his quick change from T-shirt and jeans to a suit and tie in a crisis is a nod to professional protocol. It seems to represent more than that. It symbolizes a cosmic and necessary shift from a confident young boy. This is strange for responsible adults.
The term suit is often used to refer to a fairly strict but formidable businessman or politician. All Zuckerberg and his fellow tech giants have resisted so far are suits. For example, you’ll never be seen sitting in a circle of beanbag chairs in a meeting wearing a suit with a zip-up sweatshirt. The suit, and the suit that wears it, represents the stiff old guard, not the free-spirited Silicon Valley first made famous by Steve Jobs and his black mock turtleneck.
This isn’t to say Zuckerberg has never worn a suit and tie before. Because he’s worn a suit and tie, whether it’s meeting the president of China, discussing fake news with Barack Obama, or getting married. However, those instances were mostly orchestrated to his own advantage and were generally indicative of his position of power and his stronghold on the internet itself. He and his signature relaxed look are social media totems. Now, his sharp suits serve as a kind of visual death knell for that dominance. Zuckerberg and his business have become too global and influential for hoodies, T-shirts, and flip-flops. Like it or not, he’s now donning the suit and facing the ultimate test of corporate responsibility. In the end, Mr. Zuckerberg will probably need more than a starched collar to save Facebook.
