Why Mark Zuckerberg Should Step Aside As CEO

 Facebook has had a bad year with plummeting stocks, angry advertisers and slowing growth Facebook has a serious problem and it may be Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook is the largest social media site in the world with 800 million active users, so why is it that it's stock continues to drop and advertisers are fleeing in droves and its rate of new users seems to be slowing? Much of it can be blamed on massive corporate missteps. Facebook continues to focus on advertising as its sole source of revenue but with recent big named advertisers taking their business elsewhere it does not bode well for the social media giant. Mark Zuckerberg created what is currently one of the most revolutionary companies that the modern world had ever seen but his inexperience with running a company much less a fortune 500 company may be doing irreparable harm to its future.

Facebook's IPO went public in May and was one of the largest IPOs ever released but after several months on the market the stock value has decreased nearly 50%. One of the major issues of the Facebook stock drop was the fact that Facebook has no real value. Facebook has a huge market with 800 million people but doesn't sell anything and is forced to rely on advertising dollars which it is increasingly chasing away. It all began with General Motors pulling ads on the site. GM saw no return on investment by advertising through the site so they pulled their ads this caused many other companies to make similar decisions. Instead of wooing these companies back Mark Zuckerberg and company made the decision in September to begin a paywall a program that essentially blocked advertisers from the audience that had already built on their fan pages unless they began paying higher fees. Many jumped ship, especially outspoken entrepreneur Mark Cuban. Cuban has pulled his Dallas Mavericks team and some other 70 companies he is invested in off of Facebook.

The call for Mark Zuckerberg to step down began initially in an LA Times Post. The Los Angeles Times proposed that Zuckerberg should stay on as a creative force but cede his role as CEO to more seasoned corporate veteran. I for one agree, however, I do not foresee Mark Zuckerberg making that decision. Mark Zuckerberg's ego is well noted and he seems to go out of the way to insult the companies and customers in which he relies. On regular intervals Facebook has released updates to the public and advertisers which have largely been introduced to great outrage and Facebook's business model is still yet undefined. This absolutely no way to run a company let alone a Fortune 500 company at that. A CEOs key job is in handling and over seeing operations and speaking with investors something Zuckerberg has little desire to do. Stepping aside and into a role as creative director with a large voting share would still allow him to retain a certain amount of control over his company but would also put him in a position better suited for his temperament and talents. It is in my humble opinion that Mark Zuckerberg should step aside the future of Facebook may depend upon it.