Facebook Fallout Includes PR Fail

For a long time, Facebook was the most dramatic, exciting company in Silicon Valley, if not the world. Its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was a global icon thanks to his remarkably young age. Before 23, he became a subject of intense scrutiny and hero-worship.

Over the last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly emphasized his company’s social mission, “to make the world more open and connected.” It turns out that he’s interested in building a lucrative business as well. After Facebook’s surprisingly strong earning report, highlighted by impressive performance generating mobile revenue, the company’s shares skyrocketed by 20% on Wednesday, in the largest one-day gain since the company went public back in May.

Facebook‘s intensely hyped initial public offering one year ago today was supposed to be a triumphant moment for Silicon Valley and Wall Street. After years of buildup and a valuation that had ballooned to $100 billion, ordinary investors would finally get the chance to own a slice of the hottest tech company on the planet. In the weeks leading up to the IPO, many tech experts — including some of the most prominent venture capitalists in the country — repeatedly insisted that once public, Facebook’s stock price would soar beyond the $38 per share offering price.