Gawker
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injustice
Indian Dude Wants the Right to Be Exploited by Harvard Jerks Like Mark Zuckerberg, Too
Sanjay Mavinkurve, a brilliant Indian immigrant, wants to live the American dream — you know, go to Harvard, have some wealthy putz steal your software, then slave away as a Google code jockey! More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Pinekatz: A million immigrants can illegally come through the southern border every year but one smart Indian can't get a work... 11 Responses | Other threads
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facebook
When ConnectU's Founders Won, They Still Lost
Lawyers for ConnectU are bragging about winning a $65 million settlement for their clients from Facebook. But what did Divya Narendra and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss really get from Mark Zuckerberg? Almost nothing. More »
11,871
By Owen ThomasComment by Widget Economist: Zuckerberg joined the McDonalds Network! 3 Responses | Other threads
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schadenfreude
Facebook's Value: $3.7 Billion and Dropping
What's Facebook really worth? The fast-growing social network is adding to its 150 million users effortlessly. But revenues aren't growing as easily. And that has Mark Zuckerberg's company tied up in legal and financial knots. More »
29,282
By Owen ThomasComment by Tamar Weinberg: This may belong in the previous day's post, but given that we're still focused on the recent ConnectU disclosure, I'm... 5 Responses | Other threads
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lawsuits
Facebook Settlement Revealed by Incompetent Lawyers
How much did it cost to put a lingering dispute over the creation of Facebook to rest? $65 million, according to the lawyers who hammered out the — oops — confidential settlement with rival ConnectU. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Lymed: Imagine the essay Castro would write about that law firm! 1 Responses | Other threads
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nerdfight
Facebook Founders Settle Their Feud
After years of freezing out cofounder Eduardo Saverin over a dispute about money, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has deigned to recognize his former Harvard buddy. Why now? Perhaps to derail a forthcoming Facebook tell-all? More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by siliconvalleydropout: what does it mean by co-founded? did he write code too? 7 Responses | Other threads
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domain names
Facebook.co.uk offline — but check out who owns it
Another embarrassing outage for Facebook: The homepage for Facebook.co.uk is displaying a set of directories, as if the server had been wiped clean. Before you blame Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg for this one, check out the domain-name registration. Facebook.co.uk is registered to one Cameron Winklevoss; last year, it displayed a placeholder homepage. So who's Cameron Winklevoss, and what makes this deception so intriguing? More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by davidu: You are looking at the Google cache for: [facebookuk.co.uk] Not for: [facebook.co.uk] 1 Responses | Other threads
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divya narendra
Guy who sued Facebook joins Facebook
Harvard alum Divya Narendra is on Facebook, one of his classmates noticed today. The social network started at that Ivy League school, so his joining it wouldn't be notable — except Narendra started ConnectU, the social network from which Narendra and his cofounders say fellow Harvard man Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook. The other two founders are Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who rowed in the Beijing Olympics and are also very tall. Narendra didn't take advantage of Facebook's excellent privacy features and has his profile exposed to the entire New York network. Narendra has been less vocal than the Winklevosses about ConnectU's continuing fight with Facebook, but according to his Facebook wall, which we've pasted below, Narendra's friends still can't believe he joined the site. Also below: Guess which company Narendra did not include in the "Education and Work" section of his profile:
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Comment by ScalaWag: What a bullshit headline. I first thought he joined Facebook as employee, otherwise big fucking deal. 1 Responses | Other threads
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caption contest
ConnectU's uniques spike 50 percent
At the party last Friday hosted by our publisher, Gawker Media, ConnectU twintrepreneurs Cameron Winklevoss (left) and Tyler Winklevoss (right) made an appearance. They were in town for their short film production's screening the following day. Intrepid Valleywagger Nicholas Carlson managed to keep them talking for half an hour — but all I got from Carlson about the exchange was, "They're very handsome." Write a better headline in the comments and we'll use it for the post's title. Friday actionhero11 won a few chips for "This Hard Drive sponsored by Seagate."(Photo by Nick McGlynn) -
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wantrepreneurs
ConnectU twins' film production has NYC premiere tomorrow
ConnectU cofounders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss lost control of ConnectU, their also-ran social network, in the settlement of a lawsuit with Facebook CEO mark Zuckerberg. And they finished last in their Olympic rowing final. But they just got some good news! A short film the pair executive-produced (read: paid for) has won a slot at the New York City Shorts Festival. First Bass, a treacly story directed by fellow Harvard grad Phil Hodges, features a young bassist who ditches rehearsal to run off to a Chicago Cubs game. It looks like a typical "calling-card film," the kind of flicks Hollywood wannabes produce to get a foot in the door to the entertainment industry. The five- to six-figure budgets are usually funded by wealthy family and friends. The best part is this little tidbit from Tyler's bio: More »
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By Jackson WestComment by Headquarters N.Y.: Is that MARK BORCHARDT (Coven) in the audience? more » | Other threads
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olympics
Google pulling for Facebook's rower foes?
On Sunday, Google featured rowers in a custom Olympics logo on its homepage. Were the mullahs of Mountain View pulling for Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Olympics hopefuls in rowing who charged Harvard classmate Mark Zuckerberg with nicking the idea for Facebook from ConnectU, their college social network? The Winklevosses lost in the pair rowing finals, after handing their company to Zuckerberg in a court-ordered settlement. Then again, Google is known for backing losers in social networking. -
olympics
ConnectU twins sink in rowing finals, rise in our hearts
ConnectU cofounders and identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss finished sixth out of six in Saturday's Olympic rowing finals. As you can tell from NBC's clip above, it wasn't close. It was an anticlimactic end to a rousing — for some, arousing — Olympic run for the beefy Harvard-grad dreamboats. The pair only made the finals after a stirring upset last week. Australians Drew Ginn and Duncan Free finished first. Sure, they have a gold medal, but did they create a college social network good enough for Mark Zuckerberg to copy? (Photo by Getty Images)
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Comment by vision4bg: Drew Ginn is a great guy, very pleased he got his third gold. more » | Other threads
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olympics
Know your Olympic finalists, ConnectU founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
ConnectU may be the college social network that isn't Facebook, but then Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is also the social network founder who isn't an Olympic finalist. Row2K interviewed the pair who are, ConnectU founders and dreamboats Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. From the interviews, giddy fangirls and boys will be excited to learn that Cameron is the one who likes to play guitar, read books and watch movies. He's also very excited to seeing Beijing because he's never been to China before. Tyler doesn't say as much, but we do learn from the interview, excerpted above, that he was very tall in his youth. In an early 1960s rock band, we think he'd be the one who wore sunglasses on stage. The pair — who, along with third cofounder Divya Narendra, handed over all ConnectU shares to Facebook this week after months of legal wrangling — compete for gold this Saturday.
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Comment by Jackson West: I'm just disappointed that Team Jezebel had to pick two such media-stereotypical male body types -- with blonde hair, nonetheless.... more » | Other threads
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connectu
In rousing upset, ConnectU founders advance to Olympic finals
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin cofounders of a college social network which is not Facebook, finished second in today's Olympic rowing semifinals, just behind the Aussies, and will compete in the finals on Saturday. It was quite the upset. Previewing today's race, Row2k.com wrote that "the Aussie pair is a lock," that "Serbia, Germany, Italy are the like contenders for the final two qualifying spots," and that the ConnectU cofounders "have their work cut out for them if they want to win a spot in the A final." While they were winning in Beijing, they lost a battle in court. More »
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Comment by dotbombing: Is it cold on that boat? I think the turkey's done. more » | Other threads
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jackpot
As ConnectU founders prepare for Olympic semis, Facebook takes over their company
ConnectU cofounders and Olympic rowers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss beat out Croatia to win their second heat yesterday, advancing to Wednesday's semifinals. Meanwhile, back on the home front, U.S. District Judge James Ware said Monday that ConnectU has until Tuesday to transfer all its stock to Facebook and comply with a settlement to the ConnectU founders' suit alleging that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea. More » -
olympics
Winklevoss brothers finish last in first try at Beijing
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss — the founding twins of social network ConnectU who are Facebook's legal foes and also Olympic rowers — fared poorly in their first Olympic outing Saturday, finishing fifth out of five in a 2000 meter preliminary heat. The Winklevoss brothers — who delighted fans on the home front when they practiced shirtless late last week — finished in 7:13.64, well behind the Polish team which finished up in 7:01.90. Also waiting on the other side of the finish line were the French, Italian and Canadian teams, one of which presumably won, but who cares, our boys did not. The Winklevoss brothers were supposed to get a second chance on Sunday, but that second heat rained out and will be rescheduled. Nevermind that, we think its time for the Winklevosses to go to Plan B: sue the French, Italian, Canadian and Polish teams for stealing their idea of finishing faster. Update: The brothers won their second heat and advanced to Wednesday's semifinals. -
superficial
ConnectU twins, Facebook's Olympian enemies, spotted shirtless near Beijing
ConnectU founders and Olympic rowers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss — the guys who are still in a legal wrestling match with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after suing him for stealing their idea, settling, and then rethinking the settlement — took their shirts off for rowing practice in Beijing. We thought some of you might want to know.
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Comment by Lawrence: they can't have their cake and it eat too - that's why Zuck is the king, not these douches more » | Other threads
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nerdfight
Julia Allison underling calls ConnectU founders "spoiled bitches," then tries to recruit them
ConnectU cofounders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, even as they're trying to wrestle a chunk of Facebook from former Harvard school chum Mark Zuckerberg, are training for the double-shell rowing event at the Olympics. Maureen O'Connor, an editor at Julia Allison's entertainment startup, NonSociety, hoped the privileged pair would send the site updates from Beijing. So O'Connor emailed Guest of a Guest editor Rachelle Hruska — who apparently knows the fair-haired Harvard-grad twins — to ask for an introduction. One small problem. More »
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By Jackson WestComment by cmonk: So who's sleeping with who here? I'm sensing a Zuckerberg 'quimby' (propped on each end with a Winklevoss)?!? A 'quimby' for... more » | Other threads
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The Winklevosses
ConnectU twins try to disprove dumb-jock image, and fail
The not-so-subtle thesis of a Boston Globe profile of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins who claim Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea from Facebook from them: They're not just dumb jocks. The Twinklevosses, as they're known in Silicon Valley, lost in their legal effort, but are hoping to win at the Beijing Olympics, where they are competing in rowing. They and fellow cofounder Divya Narendra settled with Facebook, agreeing to sell ConnectU for shares in the company — but are now trying to overturn that agreement, saying Facebook isn't worth as much as they thought. That argues strongly against the piece's attempt to bust stereotypes. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by mrfomoco: 'One of the cool things about amateur athletics is that I think the pursuit is sort of the pursuit of... more » | Other threads
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facebook
Transcripts confirm: ConnectU founders better rowers than accountants
Released court transcripts from the last skirmish in the ConnectU-Facebook legal battle — in which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was charged with nicking the code for his site from a rival social network — reveal why ConnectU founders Divya Narendra, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler WInklevoss returned to the fight this summer after settling with Facebook in February. It seems they thought their original lawyers didn't make as much from the deal as the ConnectU founders thought they would. In the February settlement, ConnectU sold itself for Facebook shares which the founders figured would have a value similar to those bought by Microsoft, which paid $240 million for 1.6 percent of Facebook, valuing the company at a notional $15 billion. The transcripts show that while Microsoft bought preferred stock in the company, ConnectU's founders were awarded common shares. That kind isn't worth nearly as much. In fact, given the problems Facebook shareholders have had selling their private shares, the settlement might not be enough to pay ConnectU's legal bills. The founders' first team of lawyers have asked the Judge not to award ConnectU its settlement funds until its legal bills are paid first.
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Comment by WagCurious: OK, stick with me on this one ConnectU founders, it's a little tricky: Mark Zuckerberg hates you, Mark Zuckerberg is... more » | Other threads
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lawsuits
CNET legal objection might reveal Mark Zuckerberg's private IM transcripts
The legal case opened by ConnectU founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is closed, but the courtroom drama continues. CNET has filed an objection to San Jose District Court Judge James Ware's decision to close the courtroom and put all the evidence under seal. What's in those documents that might be so interesting? Facebook's internal valuations, for starters. But most intriguing are the purported instant message conversations that the plaintiffs were led to believe provided proof that Zuckerberg is a little thief. (Photo by AP)
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By Jackson WestComment by michaellamb: I'll bet it's deep. A lot of LULZ Wut? OMG WTF and vampire-bite-me sort of dialog more » | Other threads
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clips
Losers in court, but winners on the water, Winklevoss brothers win spot on Olympic team
Harvard classmates, twins and ConnectU co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss couldn't convince a judge Facebook stole their code or lied to them about how much the company is worth, but they sure can move submerged poles back and forth really fast! The pair won a place on the U.S. Olympic squad and will row in the 2,000 meter event in Beijing later this summer. We hear its an upset. "This is a bit of a surprise," a crew aficionado and Winklevoss admirer tells us. "They were not a shoo-in by any means." View the embedded clip to see the WInklevoss brothers rowing in April 2008. -
connectu
Facebook convinces judge it isn't worth $15 billion
When Facbook and the ConnectU founders who say Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their code settled in February, ConnectU founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra figured they were getting stock in a company worth $15 billion. Not so, according to Facebook laywers and the federal judge who ruled in their favor. From the Judge's ruling:
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Comment by Shadowlayer: @newyorker: Good explanation, too bad I'm too sleepy and may forget all about it :-( more » | Other threads
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facebook
ConnectU's case against Facebook to remain closed
Harvard classmates and ConnectU founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra signed a settlement with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in February, and despite what the ConnectU founders say is relevant new evidence, a federal judge ruled yesterday that the settlement will stick. "The court finds that the agreement is enforceable and orders its enforcement," the order said. We prefer how the last judge ruling on the case put it, describing the ConnectU founders suddenly renewed interest in revisiting the settlement with new lawyers as little more than "buyer's remorse." -
facebook
ConnectU founders hire new lawyers to fight Facebook
ConnectU founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra have hired new lawyers to argue their suddenly renewed case that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for his site. The parties agreed to a settlement in February, but last week ConnectU cited new evidence and asked a judge to let it out of the deal. Now, the New York Times reports one of ConnectU's new lawyers is stock fraud expert Sean F. O’Shea of O’Shea Partners in New York. Speculates the Times's Brad Stone: More »
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Comment by CJC: @Snarkotron: It's a good Dutch name - Don' t de haat de speler, haat het spel. more » | Other threads
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quotable
ConnectU lawyer on the IM transcripts that will totally milk more millions from Facebook
Mark Hornick, the lawyer representing ConnectU's Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, on the "smoking gun" chat transcripts that data forensics expert Jeff Parmet may or may not have discovered on hard drives subpoenaed from Facebook implicating Mark Zuckerberg in grand theft source code: "We don't have them. The courts have them, Facebook has them, but ConnectU doesn't have them." [Silicon Alley Insider] -
lawsuits
Last ruling in ConnectU vs. Facebook went against Mark Zuckerberg
A judge last summer called the ConnectU founders' claims that Mark Zuckerberg had used code written while employed by them to create Facebook "tissue thin." Yesterday, in the final ruling before Facebook's lawyers decided to settle, a higher court disagreed and rejected Facebook's call for a dismissal. According to the appeals court ruling, Facebook's defense arguments were "either unavailing, or inadequately developed, or both. We reject them out of hand and, for the reasons elucidated above, we reverse the order of dismissal." Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg, unwilling to go on with the case, chose to settle.
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Comment by Fidel on the Roof: The words "zuck" and "settle" seem to go well with each other. more » | Other threads
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lawsuits
Zuckerberg agrees to pay off ConnectU founders
Facebook is preparing to settle with ConnectU founders Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra. The three allegedthat in 2003, Facebook founder and then-fellow Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg turned code he wrote for ConnectU into Facebook. All motions in the case have been terminated, the New York Times reports — a usual prelude to a settlement. In July 2007, a judge characterized the ConnectU founder's case as tissue-thin, remarking that dormroom chatter does not equate to a contract. Still, the case didn't seem to be going away. Already, inadvertently released court filings proved embarrassing to Zuckerberg, and a trial would likely have revealed worse. What the Times didn't get: the terms of the settlement. More »
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Comment by Dror Poleg: @plushmessiah: A TV show? Why not compare FB to hotmail of GMail? For better or worse, Facebook is essentially a... more » | Other threads
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mark zuckerberg
Facebook founder's sordid college days
02138, an independent magazine for Harvard alumni, has done an in-depth profile of Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg and the on-campus origins of Facebook. There's plenty on the lawsuit filed by the Winklevoss twins and ConnectU, the Facebook rival for which Zuckerberg did some programming work. But the magazine digs deeper and gets some tantalizing details. Did you know that Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin and Zuckerberg sparred over money, and Saverin is suing Zuckerberg for squeezing him out of the company? Or that fellow Harvard alums Sanjay Mavinkurve, Joe Jackson, and Victor Gao also did programming for ConnectU — and thereby might have a claim to the title of wannabe Facebook founders? Aaron Greenspan, whose HouseSystem social network may have inspired Zuckerberg, also makes an appearance. Zuckerberg didn't speak to the magazine for the story, but his response to Harvard's Administrative Board still rings true today. More » -
breakdowns
Facebook rivals' site proves easily hacked
Poor Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The athletic and very identical twins are suing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg over claims that he stole their idea for a college social network. Now, too, though, they're suffering much the same security woes as their better-known rival, and, if that's possible, not as gracefully. Just as Facebook had its source code leaked, someone has discovered that ConnectU, the comely twins' site, has major security flaws of its own. Flaws so obvious, says the engineer who discovered the flaw, that they beggar the imagination. More » -
superficial
An open letter to the twins suing Facebook
FROM THE DESK OF MEGAN MCCARTHY — A note to Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the inhumanly hunky main plaintiffs in the ConnectU-Facebook lawsuit. Yes, we are aware that you are identical twins. Smolderingly hot identical twins. Yes, we are aware that, in your quest to be Olympic rowers — lean, athletic, sweaty Olympic rowers, we might add — you are used to wearing team uniforms, cut and colored to make you look like clones. This does not excuse the fact that you wore the exact same navy-blue pinstripe suits to your court hearing yesterday. And the same belts. And the same shoes. Good lord, have you no taste? More »
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Comment by Patricia2: No, I think they're hot. They seem a little corn fed but they're hot. I don't get the sense Zuckerberg's really... more » | Other threads
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facebook
Winklevoss brothers hold a press conference
I listened in live to a conference call with Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, two of the plaintiffs in ConnectU's lawsuit against Facebook. "You may wonder why ConnectU is holding its first press conference now," says Tyler Winklevoss in a set of prepared remarks. "This dispute with Thefacebook is over three years old." Winklevoss cites his and brother Cameron's schedules as "Olympic hopefuls" training for the 2008 Beijing games. He says that ConnectU is not trying to shut down Facebook. (Oddly, he keeps calling it "Thefacebook," even though Mark Zuckerberg's company hasn't used that name in almost two years.) Cameron Winklevoss then joins in, largely reciting the facts stated in his lawsuit, but also emphasizing that he challenged Mark Zuckerberg shortly after he launched Facebook, not, as some press reports had it, only recently as Facebook became successful. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by PurpleStarfish: Just because Zuckerberg wears flipflops with everything does not make him the good guy... more » | Other threads
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facebook
ConnectU gets its day in court
"Mo money, mo problems," says a Facebook insider. The wisdom of the late Biggie Smalls explains, in a nutshell, why Facebook has found itself in court. A judge in Boston is considering at a hearing today whether to let a lawsuit filed by the founders of ConnectU — the Dickensian-named twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra — against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his company proceed. This lawsuit, of course, only exists because of Facebook's supposed success, and the inflated valuations bandied about by board members tired of fending off buyout offers. I'll be covering this story throughout the day, but if you need to catch up, here's the full coverage. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Jay (living in First Life): Owen - your street cred just went up big time with the Dickens reference. more » | Other threads
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By Owen ThomasComment by easywider56: My sources already informed me,(Case will definately be dismissed).And as "Baretta use to say" YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE... more » | Other threads
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feuds
Tyler Winklevoss rows against the Facebook tide
Portfolio.com has interviewed Tyler Winklevoss, one of the Harvard graduates who has charged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with stealing the idea behind the hot social network. Winklevoss, who founded HarvardConnection, a college-networking site now known as ConnectU, appears to be a very angry, bitter young man. We love those types! Here's what Winklevoss had to say to Portfolio about Zuckerberg's actions: "Premeditated, well thought out, duplicitous and conniving." Winklevoss adds, "He messed with the wrong guys." Of course, Winklevoss is more than a bit duplicitous himself in the interview. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by rebump: This is why, even though I hate to proceed in such a way, my endeavors or either solo or others... more » | Other threads
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also-rans
Facebook's wannabe founders
As Facebook's theoretical value soars, the interest of its hangers-ons grows practical indeed. I think that's why Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra are pursuing their lawsuit against sandal-sporting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with such tireless vigor. But the three Harvard school chums, who say they hired Zuckerberg to work on their competing ConnectU site before he launched what became Facebook, are far from the only ones pressing a claim to have been present at Facebook's creation. (For the record, long-suffering Facebook PR chief Brandee Barker says the company's official cofounders are Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes, and Dustin Moskowitz.) After the jump, a gallery of everyone who's not an official founder — but who'd like to be. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by marketman: I have to admit that this legal situation is one of mixed emotions for me. Sour grapes(plaintiffs) vs. Quite-possibly-the-most-annoying... man-on-earth... more » | Other threads
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1-35 of 35 for "Valleywag, Cameron Winklevoss"
