Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been called many names over the years. The multi-billionaire has been referred to by a number of unflattering descriptions including “alien,” “robot, “ “lizard,” and even “skinwalker”.
However, while being called names by Internet commenters is one thing, you'd think that Zuckerberg's employees would refrain from joining in. As it turns out, Meta employees don't just join in on the name calling, but they also have their own name for him.
Mark Zuckerberg is the Eye of Sauron
In an interview on The Tim Ferriss Show, via Consequence, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that his employees have a very specific name for him. According to the CEO, Meta employees refer to him as the “Eye of Sauron”.
The Eye of Sauron is a reference to The Lord of the Rings. In the fantasy series, The Eye of Sauron is a reincarnation of the oppressive Dark Lord Sauron who tries to conquer Middle Earth. Some would say that being referred to as this would be a bad thing, but Zuckerberg thinks it's a lovable moniker.
“Some of the folks I work with at the company — they say this lovingly — but I think that they sometimes refer to my attention as the Eye of Sauron,” the Meta CEO said. “You have this unending amount of energy to go work on something, and if you point that at any given team, you will just burn them.”
The conversation popped up after a discussion about energy in the workplace. Mark Zuckerberg claimed that he can't do “straight-up meditation”. Instead, he has to put himself “in a situation where it’s difficult to not focus”.
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Are we the bad guys?
For most people, having their nickname based on a tyrannical evil force would result in some form of awakening from Zuckerberg. As one of the most evil forces in all of fantasy media, there's not really a good way to be named after them.
However, in the most Zuckerberg way of interpreting that nickname possible, the Meta CEO has taken that as a sign of affection. While we don't have any confirmation, we would assume that being called Sauron is actually an insult.
Of course, this isn't the worst nickname you could be called. While it may come with connotations of dread, terror, and the end of days, it also is a powerful moniker. However, you're still being called an evil villain, Zuckerberg!