USAID Shutdown The Zuck Weighs In On This Colossal Mistake

Move Fast and Break… What Exactly?

Alright folks Zuck here. I gotta weigh in on this whole USAID situation. I saw that Obama and even W. Bush are pretty steamed about it. And Bono? Apparently he was spitting poetry like it was lines of code. So yeah even I the guy who brought you the Metaverse can see that shutting down USAID is kind of a big deal. I mean come on we're talking about feeding people and preventing diseases. That's a little more important than figuring out how many avatars I can fit in a virtual conference room.

Is It A Social Network Or A Global Lifeline?

Obama called it a 'colossal mistake.' Bush talked about saving 25 million lives with AIDS relief. And then there's Trump and Musk calling them 'radical left lunatics' and a 'criminal organization.' Seriously? It sounds like my newsfeed after I announce a new privacy policy. Look I get it. Everyone loves a good budget cut. But maybe just maybe saving lives and promoting global stability is worth a few extra tax dollars. Plus let's be real those countries they helped become our future markets. It’s all connected like one giant slightly dysfunctional social network.

The Algorithm of Compassion

So what's the Zuck's take? Well I'm thinking maybe we need a new algorithm. One that calculates the ROI on human compassion. One that understands that investing in global health and development isn't just the right thing to do it's also the smart thing to do. I mean if we can use AI to figure out the best time to show you an ad surely we can use it to figure out how to deliver aid more effectively.

America First… And Second And Third World

The State Department's solution? A new program called 'America First.' Okay great. But here’s the thing: when people are starving or dying of preventable diseases it's not really about 'America First.' It’s about 'humanity first.' And sometimes doing what's best for humanity ends up being what's best for America too. Crazy right?

The Future Is… Complicated

Look I'm not saying I have all the answers. I'm just saying that shutting down USAID seems like a pretty short sighted move. It’s like deleting your entire friend list because you had one bad day. Maybe we should all take a deep breath step back from the algorithm wars and remember that we're all in this together. After all what's the point of connecting the world if we're just going to let it fall apart?

So What Now?

Maybe it's time for us tech guys to step up. If governments are gonna fumble the ball on global development maybe we can use our resources and innovation to pick up the slack. After all we're pretty good at disrupting things. Maybe we can disrupt poverty and disease next. Food for thought right? Now if you'll excuse me I have a metaverse to build. But I promise I'll be thinking about USAID... and maybe even writing a little poetry of my own (don't worry Bono I won't quit my day job).