Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Meta Platforms, is making waves on social media with a bearded look that has gone viral. Zuckerberg on Thursday introduced Meta's improved AI assistant built on new versions of its open-source Llama large language model. In a video, Zuckerberg, dressed simply in a blue T-shirt and a gold chain, introduced the latest version to his over 13 million followers. But for him, the announcement was seemingly overshadowed when a digitally altered picture of the Meta CEO sporting a full beard began circulating on social media.
The morphed image prompted many people to say that a beard indeed would suit the entrepreneur. "wait, when did Mark Zuckerberg become cool???" an X user wrote while sharing the edited picture on the microblogging site.
Take a look below:
"Mark Zuckerberg now has a new look. Finally letting his beard grow," another X user wrote. "Mark Zuckerberg is proof that anyone can look cool if they grow a beard," said a third user.
"Zuck with a beard would become World Emperor in months if not weeks," commented another.
"Who is running the Zuck PR campaign to rehab his image? They are putting on an absolute clinic," expressed a user.
Some social media users also posted their disappointment upon finding out the image wasn't real. "The glow up is fake!?!? Can't trust y'all anymore for anything," wrote one user. "I thought he had got a glow up," said another. ""I hate when people lie. Do not lie!" added one user.
Some individuals even edited the picture and captioned it, "How about the old Zuck?" sharing an image of a bald Zuck with a white moustache.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Zuckerberg shared a video of him working out in the gym five months after he underwent knee surgery. He injured himself while preparing for an upcoming mixed martial arts (MMM) competition. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which is a band of tissue connecting the thigh and shin bone. Now, five months after the medical procedure, Zuckerberg is finally regaining his footing.
"5 months post-surgery. Recovery is going well and starting to get my strength back. Really looking forward to easing back into training over the coming months. Appreciate all the love and support," the Meta CEO wrote while sharing the video.