On the evening of October 22, the new member of the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook, was invited to have a dialogue with Tsinghua x-lab’s students. During the session, Zuckerberg spoke entirely in Chinese, which thrilled the audience. He remarked that this is his first time public speech in Chinese, which made the session more special and unforgettable for the students present. Professor QIAN Yingyi, Dean of Tsinghua SEM, hosted the dialogue session and Professor CHEN Jining, President of Tsinghua University, concluded the session with remarks. “Tsinghua Students Dialogue with Board Members” is one of the series of activities prior to the Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board meeting; the aim is to create an intimate environment for students to have an up-close and in-depth interaction with board members.

The session began with a 10th year anniversary video on Facebook, detailing the many milestones since its inception in 2004. The video ended with an uplifting message, exhorting views to “get ready for the next 10 years”. Following which, Dean QIAN made opening remarks, where he peppered his introduction of Zuckerberg and Facebook with much humor. In particular, he pointed out the affinity that Zuckerberg shares with Tsinghua SEM. As the youngest member in the Advisory Board, Zuckerberg was born in the same year when Tsinghua SEM was founded and his birthday is just 5 days before the school’s founding date. The dialogue session was moderated by David Wei, Engineering Director of Facebook’s Growth Department and a former Tsinghua Computer Science student (Class of 2001).

Tsinghua SEM’s Dean QIAN Yingyi introduced Board member Mark Zuckerberg to Tsinghua students

Zuckerberg was first asked about his reasons to learn Chinese. To which he replied that there were three main reasons. Firstly, his wife is a Chinese, so he wanted to communicate with her grandmother who could only speak Chinese. Secondly, he wanted to learn the language to understand China’s rich history and culture. Lastly, learning Chinese is difficult, so he wanted to challenge himself. Zuckerberg mentioned that this is his fourth time in China, and the main purpose of this trip is to attend Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board meeting. He felt that he was very privileged to be a member of the Board, and hoped to use this opportunity to support China’s education. He remarked that there are now more than 140 Tsinghua graduates working in Facebook and he welcomed Tsinghua students to join Facebook when they graduate.

Mark Zuckerberg, Tsinghua SEM’s Board member, Facebook’s Founder and CEO, had a dialogue with Tsinghua students

Speaking about his current trip around Asia, Zuckerberg hoped that, through his efforts, he will be help people to access the internet and connect with the world, to create job opportunities via the web and to promote economic development. Touching on his motivation when setting up Facebook, he commented that when he first launched Facebook in 2004, his aim was only to connect all Harvard students. However, the idea that there should be a product to connect the entire planet was always at the back of his mind. Perhaps, due to his strong belief in this idea, he is now able to have more than 1.3 billion active users on Facebook.

Since many audience members are also aspiring entrepreneurs from Tsinghua x-lab, Zuckerberg shared his feelings and experience when he first started out. His belief is that a good company is founded because the founder wants to change the world, and not simply because of his desire to have a company. When probed about his secret for success, he noted that it is very challenging to manage a company, because as a boss, you have to make many difficult and tough decisions, such as deciding whether to lay off some staff. He said that without faith in your mission, it will be very tempting to give up. This is why only the best will never give up, while the majority chooses to give up along the way. He said, “It is important to believe in your mission and never give up.”

Mark Zuckerberg, Tsinghua SEM’s Board member, Facebook’s Founder and CEO, shared his experience and insights on entrepreneurship with Tsinghua students

When asked about his opinion on innovation in China, he remarked that there are many successful and innovative products and services, such as Xiaomi smartphones, Wechat of Tencent, and Taobao which have created many job opportunities. Regarding Facebook’s plan in China, he said that the company has already been helping many China enterprises to extend their reach overseas, and collaborating with Chinese cities to promote their cultures. It has also been playing an active role in helping other places around the world to link up with China.

In responding to the question from the audience regarding Facebook’s next stage of development, Zuckerberg identified three major new growth areas for the next 10 years. One, to provide universal access for internet and to connect the world; two, to develop artificial intelligence; and three, to invest in virtual reality technology, which is likely to be next big thing after the universal adoption of smartphone.

Mark Zuckerberg, Tsinghua SEM’s Board member, Facebook’s Founder and CEO, shared his views on the innovation of Chinese enterprises

President Chen concluded the question and answer session by discussing with Zuckerberg regarding Tsinghua’s recently announced education reforms and the things that the school can do to promote entrepreneurship and leadership among Tsinghua students.

CHEN Jining, President of Tsinghua University, made comments when concluding the Q&A session

As the event drew to an end, Dean QIAN presented a figurine of Zuckerberg as a souvenir to Zuckerberg. The figurine was printed using a 3D printer that was invented by a startup from Tsinghua x-lab. President Chen, Zuckerberg and Dean QIANalso took pictures with the winners of the inaugural “President Cup” of Tsinghua x-lab.

Tsinghua SEM’s Dean QIAN Yingyi presented a 3D-printed figurine of Zuckerberg as a souvenir to Zuckerberg

Prior to the Dialogue event with students, Zuckerberg visited Tsinghua SEM and had an in-depth conversation with Dean QIAN. Dean QIAN introduced the history and current development of the School and welcomed Zuckerberg to join the Advisory Board. Zuckerberg expressed his gratitude to be invited to join the Board and hoped to be able to make contributions to the School’s development. Zuckerberg also presented a photo of Tsinghua graduates who are now working at Facebook as a gift to Dean QIAN.

Zuckerberg presented a photo of Tsinghua graduates who are now working at Facebook as a gift to Dean QIAN

Event photos