What is your impression of Nigeria?

Zuck: The thing that is striking about Nigeria is the passion that the people express, and the entrepreneurial energy. And I think the world needs to see that. Here in Lagos, and through the continent there’s a shift from resource to knowledge based economies, and it is the entrepreneurs that are mostly making that happen.

What is Facebook’s strategy to reach rural communities and offer access to technology?

Zuck: Connecting everyone in the world through the internet is an important thing. We have a 3-part plan for spreading internet. The first is ‘Building infrastructure’, so that no matter where you are, you can get access to a signal. That’s why we’ve deployed Satellites to beam connectivity, Solar powered drones, etc. Second is making the network affordable (by building cheaper infrastructure and getting apps to use less data). The third is making sure people understand what the internet can do for them; Spreading awareness. (e.g Free basics, ExpressWifi).

How easy was it to move from being a software developer to running a company, and what sacrifices did you have to make?

Zuck: For me, Engineering comes down to 2 real principle. First, thinking of problems as a system, and every system can be better. Second is break down problems to small pieces.

You go from managing codes personally to getting a few people to handle some programs for you, and then you grow to managing a strong team. It’s really not that different with running a company. If you keep to the engineering mindset, then you can solve a lot of problems.

What strategy did you use in marketing Facebook at the initial stage?

Zuck: We’ve always found that getting people to use our product and enjoying it, and evangelizing it to their friends to use it is by far the most effective way of marketing. We’ve however tried a lot of things at Facebook but the engineering mindset turned out better for us than the traditional way of marketing. Build great stuff that people will enjoy using.

What’s your strategy for Whatsapp?

Zuck: Our primary priority for Whatsapp is to continue growing the community and connect more people around the world. Our long term for potential for Whatsapp will depend on how big the community gets. That said, we are already thinking of how people can connect to businesses via Whatsapp.

What’s the plan to get he Oculus pricing affordable for developing markets?

Zuck: Right now, the Oculus is more expensive than we want it. However, it’s just growing and in a few years the whole technology will mature and it can become much more affordable. Same goes for Augmented Reality (AR).

Do you find the need to customize current products for emerging markets?

Zuck: There are a bunch of different ways that we think about customizing our products, first is language. The internet isn’t very useful when the information that you’re trying to find is not in the language that you know. This is why we are spreading a lot and are empowering communities to translate our services themselves.

Content is next. We are also working with content producers in those languages, like I plan to meet with Nollywood here. There’s also a lot of technical work. We want to make sure Facebook loads quickly for people using 2G networks, and other network conditions around the world.

How do you see Messenger and Whatsapp evolving?

Zuck: They are different communities and different products. Whatsapp is a text messaging replacement. It loads faster, it’s more affordable, and easier to use – even for businesses. Messenger is more about your Facebook friends – or people you currently don’t have their phone number. Whatsapp is focused on being a utility. Messenger is focused on expression. We don’t intend to combine them.

What step is Facebook taking to serve as a learning platform for people and businesses?

Zuck: We’re interested in personalized learning. We are building software that help teachers give personalized learning to students. And we’ve deployed this in more than 100 schools in the US. In Africa, we’ve made 2 investments through the Chan Zuckerberg initiative for learning based programs/initiatives. First is Andela, and second is Bridge International Academy.

What do you predict of the next 10 years?

Zuck: The mission that I care about in Facebook, like I have since the beginning, is connecting people. The best way to predict the future is to create it. There are so many directions to the future. And there are so many opportunities presenting to us, the ability to shape the future.

What is Facebook’s plan for news and media publishing companies in Nigeria?

We have to make sure that there’s good content that representing all cultures and languages. In other to make the internet useful, there must be content that people understand, can relate with and enjoy. Like I said, I’m really interested in checking out Nollywood on this trip.

Which is one major game changing step you took building Facebook?

Zuck: When you’re an entrepreneur, one important thing is to stay focused on learning as much as you can – not just what you think you know. You never know as much as you need to in the beginning. Learning is a process where you try things and you fail. You should therefore not be afraid of failing, you must embrace it.

Facebook is more individualistic, what are you doing to integrate families?

Zuck: I have actually met people who told me how they met their spouse on Facebook. We love to be face-to-face with the people we care about, and having tools that makes that happen is a good opportunity. And this is one of the things we’re focused on at Facebook.

Tips for changing Diapers?

Zuck: You’ve got to slide the new diapers... continue reading here: http://notofcode.com/featured/2016/08/31/questions-mark-zuckerberg-answered-lagos-nigeria/: