When life handed Mark Zuckerberg a lawsuit, he turned it into an opportunity to publicize his commitment to get acquainted with Middle America.
Zuckerberg was in Texas Tuesday to testify in a case involving Facebook-owned Oculus, which a games publisher has accused of stealing technology to make its virtual reality headset. While there, he met with a slew of locals to fulfill a promise made in a post on Facebook earlier this month:
“My personal challenge for 2017 is to have visited and met people in every state in the US by the end of the year…After a tumultuous last year, my hope for this challenge is to get out and talk to more people about how they’re living, working and thinking about the future.”
Facebook was called out for spreading propaganda and false news stories during the U.S. presidential election, and Silicon Valley elites are viewed as out of touch with the way most Americans live and see the world. Zuckerberg’s resolution stoked theories that he plans to run for public office.
According to photos posted on Facebook, here are the very, very Texas things that Zuckerberg did while scheduling his time in court:
He hung out with some professional cowboys.
He petted livestock.
He met with police officers.
He watched a rodeo with a mayor.
He did some volunteer work.
He saw this big American flag.
Texas: Check.