--- title: "Zuckerberg Told His 7-Year-Old Daughter She Would Never Be Like Taylor Swift" description: "Mark Zuckerberg, for some reason, decided to brag about shooting down his daughter's dreams as some sort of podcast parable.  " date: "2024-09-19" modified: "2024-09-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/zuckerberg-daughter-taylor-swift" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "mark zuckerberg" - "priscilla chan" - "taylor swift" - "the digest" --- # Zuckerberg Told His 7-Year-Old Daughter She Would Never Be Like Taylor Swift ![Mark Zuckerberg recently bragged about dashing his seven-year-old daughter's dreams of being like Taylor Swift as some sort of parable.]() *\Image: Jamie McCarthy / WireImage / Anna Moneymaker via Getty / Futurism\* ## Swift Boated Mark Zuckerberg, for some reason, has decided to brag about dashing his [seven-year-old daughter]()'s dreams as some sort of podcast parable. When [speaking to the "Acquired" business podcast](), the 40-year-old tech mogul and [apparent Swiftie]() offered what he clearly thought were sage words of wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs during the recently-taped talk. "One day, my daughter \[August\] — we took her to a Taylor Swift concert and she was like, 'You know Dad, I kind of want to be like Taylor Swift when I grow up," the Facebook founder told the podcast's hosts, David Rosenthal and Ben Gilbert, and their assembled live audience. "I was like, 'But you can't. That's not available to you.'" At this point, Zuckerberg looked to the crowd while both hosts laughed along. The camera panned to the audience, which was also seen chuckling, some perhaps out of confusion. "And she thought about it and she's like, 'Alright when I grow up I want people to want to be like August Chan Zuckerberg,'" he concluded. "And I was like, 'Hell yeah. Hell yeah!'" https://youtu.be/QciJ9ubeLQk?t=4330 ## Regression to the Mean Meant to illustrate the ways go-getters should "learn from other people's successes and failures," as Zuckerberg continued, the strange anecdote involving a billionaire telling his seven-year-old daughter she can't be a pop singer seems pretty harsh. Charitably, the Meta CEO was likely trying to tell August, the middle of his [three daughters with wife Priscilla Chan](), that she shouldn't try to be like anyone but herself. But there's something unquestionably heartless about telling a young child that she can't be like her idol. And what does it say about Zuckerberg's parental expectations? Does he want his kids to be bigger than one of the most legendary and highest-selling musicians in history who is [herself a billionaire]()? Does he want to protect them from the [ravages of racism and fetishization]()? Does he, like many well-grounded people, simply not want his kids to [go into show business]()? We've reached out to Meta for clarification on all those questions, but until we find out, we'll have to leave this one open-ended — and once again be forced to wonder why Zuckerberg insists on being so bizarre. **More on Swift:** [*Elon Musk Has Been Making Sad Attempts to Woo Taylor Swift for Years, and She’s Never Responded a Single Time*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()