The Zuckaissance: Mark Zuckerberg's Journey From Sweet Baby Ray's Enjoyer To Quirked-Up Tech Rizzler

Mark Zuckerberg’s name used to be synonymous with cringe and awkwardness. The overlord of Meta was perceived by many as a pale nerd with a strange haircut, perpetually clammy and unable to read human emotion.

Memes portrayed him as an ethereal cyborg nourished not on food and water, but on a slurry of user data and so-called "Zucc Juice." His only hobbies seemed to be smoking meat and ruthlessly crushing business rivals.

Now, Zuck wears a chain and his hair looks more normal. He’s also gotten into martial arts and seems to have earned many aura points as of late. Fashion-wise, the 40-year-old tech oligarch is dripping harder than a rain gutter in a monsoon storm, branching out beyond his traditional T-shirts and jeans.

This year, users of his platforms and meme-makers have been grappling with the questions that this transformation brings up. Is Zuck actually cool or is this just a midlife crisis? Is this authentic "W rizz" or a PR master plan?

Could it perhaps be an elaborate ploy to lure us into the Metaverse? A sign that Zuck has traded places in the public eye with Elon Musk? A distraction from the growing controversies of his social media empire?

Most importantly, when and how did Mark Zuckerberg "glow up?"

This is a question that a close examination of the meme-historical record can illuminate, which is exactly what we intend to do with this comprehensive report on the vibes and looks of Zuck over the years. To begin, let us journey back to the mid-2000s when he initially came into the limelight and launched his first social media platform.

Old Zuck and The Early Years (2005-2016)

Mark Zuckerberg burst onto the scene in 2005 with the launch of Facebook, which would slowly initiate perhaps the greatest shift in the internet landscape with the rise of social media alongside other early players like MySpace.

Over the next few years, Facebook became the social media platform, the site of countless photo-dumps from the now-forgotten nights out of young Millennials, especially college students with which the platform first began as its core userbase.

In the following years as it overtook MySpace and other long-forgotten social media platforms, Facebook also became a hub for many pioneering meme groups in the mid to late 2010s, at the same time as Boomers and the bots that fed upon them migrated to the platform, filling it with their own content.

In these early days, Zuckerberg was known among many as somewhat of a ruthless businessman seeking to expand his empire. For example, the slang term "Zucked" or "Zuckerberged" first emerged as a piece of Silicon Valley in-group speak, meaning "to be screwed over by Mark Zuckerberg," or just in general to be treated ruthlessly in a business transaction.

Early on, meme-makers also noticed Zuckerberg's appearance and poked fun at it. The earliest individual Zuckerberg-themed meme uploaded to Know Your Meme comes from a 2010 post that made fun of his appearance in a YouTube conference with the British government, comparing him to OMG Cat.

Zuck The Robot and Meta Controversy (2016-2020)

Perhaps understandably, Mark Zuckerberg's reputation for ruthlessness and apparent awkwardness began to grow immensely online in the mid to late 2010s, which led people to make fun of him as "robotic" or "alien-like."

The earliest large-scale Zuckerberg meme recorded in the Know Your Meme archive originates in 2016 and 2017 when Mark Zuckerberg embarked on a goodwill-building tour around the U.S. In the press, some speculated that he was testing the waters of a possible presidential run.

Online, many joked that Zuck was just trying to go out into the world and do real things the way real humans do. These "Fake Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Post" memes took the form of pronouncements from Zuck himself.

In the memes, they portrayed him as a robot or alien (as well as a callous billionaire) attempting to prove his humanity as he was fascinated by the world of normal people but motivated by a desire to control them.

Smoking Meats, Sweet Baby Ray's and "Zuck Sauce" (2016)

His online reputation as somewhat of a weirdo did not stop Mark Zuckerberg from trying to rebrand as a relatable, normal guy. Legend has it that from the ashes of its old self, the phoenix emerges in a puff of smoke, which also happens to be what you need if you're going to smoke brisket and ribs — one of Zuckerberg's self-described great passions.

In 2016, Zuckerberg hosted a livestream from his backyard meat-smoking station to promote Facebook Live as a new feature.

In the now-infamous video, Zuckerberg kept saying the name of his favorite sauce, "Sweet Baby Ray's," over and over again as it quickly went viral.

A user then made a supercut edit, which ended up turning him into a meme. A man just isn't allowed to have a hobby. It seemed like everything Zuck did was greeted with mockery.

Zuck On Trial (2018)

Any chance of a Zuckerberg presidential run must have seemed remote later on in 2018 when he was hauled to testify before Congress about the Cambridge Analytica scandal when the personal data of users on Facebook had been shared with different groups and used around the world to influence politics and elections.

What had begun as a quirky experiment run out of a Harvard dorm room had spiraled into a highly profitable chaos machine running roughshod over the world's institutions.

An obviously nervous Zuckerberg took his seat in front of U.S. Congresspeople and a crowd of cameras in April 2018 as the Senate hearing became perhaps the most high-profile social media controversy to date.

Lawmakers accused him of running a monopoly, endangering children and systematically violating the privacy of his users. Ultimately, Facebook ended up receiving a record-breaking $5 billion fine, while Zuck himself received a place in meme history.

What did he do? He reached for a glass of water, and Reddit (among other sites) noticed.

A petition began to circulate, calling for water to be renamed "Zucc Juice." Negative feelings about Facebook also became associated with its founder during this time, focusing on the ultimate irony that a man who had made a website to connect with other human beings seemed like the furthest thing from a human himself.

The 2018-era memes about Zuckerberg almost always interpreted him as a fleshy representation of Facebook and all that felt inhuman about social media.

Usually, when someone's name becomes a verb, it is a good thing for their brand, but Zuckerberg's name became a verb that meant getting banned from Facebook by its opaque, robotic content moderation system (such as the notorious "Goose on Fire" meme that was labeled "graphic content" on FB). As if to add insult to injury, users called it "getting Zucc'd," intentionally spelling his name in the strangest way possible.

A comparison of Google Search volume for "Zucc" versus "Zuck" shows a spike in the double-C spelling in 2018, right around the time that this specific strain of Zuckerberg memes gained momentum.

White Sunscreen Face Zuck (2020)

In 2020, photos published by the New York Post captured Mark Zuckerberg outside, enjoying a hobby that has since become deeply associated with his brand: Foil surfing. But Zuckerberg's measures to protect his lily-white skin from the sun by applying a mask of even whiter sunscreen led to another wave of mockery and memes online.

The photo of him in a position that would be unflattering for just about anybody surfaced online in July 2020 and quickly spread, playing into narratives of Zuckerberg as a robotic, unfashionable nerd.

Media outlets also piled onto the story as it was picked up, writing articles about the meme and about how goofy Mark Zuckerberg looked. The man who runs platforms on which countless people have incidentally been cyberbullied because of their physical appearances and life choices found himself mocked for the same reasons by the entire internet. The irony was inescapable.

Zuckerberg later said in an Instagram Live chat he was trying to disguise himself with extra sunscreen so the paparazzi wouldn't recognize him, but the ploy didn't quite work out. He also claimed to not mind becoming a meme, saying, "I'm happy to give the internet some laughs."

New Zuck Era (2021-present)

Throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, Mark Zuckerberg's perception among many remained "cringe" — a robotic symbol of a company and industry that most people did not think was good.

But in 2021, Zuckerberg authentically made some people laugh by inserting an easter egg into a promotional video for the Metaverse. He popped a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's on his bookshelf, indicating that he was aware of the memes, even those that made fun of him.

The Metaverse overall, however, appeared to be another chapter in the compendium of cringe that became Zuckerberg's public life as it was introduced to the world.

Unsuccessful from a business standpoint and having gained an even worse reputation, the immersive virtual reality space's most significant meme heritage so far has been an off-putting avatar of Zuckerberg, which was mocked relentlessly online.

Hobby Zuck (2021-2022)

In the early 2020s, Mark Zuckerberg began to invest more time in his hobbies and share them publicly. During a 2022 appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Zuckerberg described his passion for martial arts and foil surfing.

The two also discussed more substantive issues about the Metaverse, Meta's content moderation and the continuing headaches that defined Zuck's existence as one of the world's most powerful men.

A July 4th, 2021, picture of Zuckerberg foil-surfing while hoisting an American flag became possibly the first Zuckerberg meme without a notable robot smell. While users still mocked Zuckerberg for the legitimate concerns raised about his companies, and for his overall vibe, he appeared healthier and more human than in previous memes. He was outdoors, working out and expressing patriotism.

Mark Zuckerberg's athletic pursuits weren't just limited to the water, however. His growing passion for martial arts became a large part of his public footprint moving into the mid-2020s. In May 2023, Zuck notably fought in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) tournament and even won some medals.

In early 2024, Zuck then showed up at a UFC event dressed as a cornerman for Australian fighter Alexander Volkanovski, and even though it was still perceived as a bit awkward, he did receive a nod from UFC CEO Dana White about his passion for the sport.

However, it's possible that Zuckerberg owes his image rehabilitation to a man who embarrassed himself so much in front of millions of people that whatever awkward vibe Zuck gave off suddenly didn't look so bad. That man is Elon Musk.

After Musk's purchase of Twitter and a sequence of controversies, he largely became the avatar of the tech sector cringe as he turned into the man that people brought up when they wanted to criticize the tech industry overall.

Compared to Musk, Zuckerberg seemed to some much more competent and normal. Mark Zuckerberg was a married family man who seemed to maintain a boundary between his public and private life, he also did not explicitly endorse any conspiracy theories on the internet.

When Elon Musk challenged Zuck to a fight, it wasn't Zuckerberg who backed out citing "neck surgery" as an excuse, which led to one of the biggest vibe shifts surrounding the two tech billionaires in recent years.

It all started when Musk initiated hostilities by challenging Zuck, who replied with a clear and straightforward "Send Me Location" post. For two months, the tech tycoons talked a big game, until Zuckerberg publicly announced a date and Musk flaked, claiming he had neck surgery. By Musk's own account, it was Zuckerberg who was too scared to get into the ring with him, and up to a year later, he continues to insist that he will fight Zuckerberg.

Many irony-poisoned meme-makers rooting for Zuckerberg found themselves in a bizarre and unique position, standing in the corner of a man who just five years before, they'd joked was a robot.

Hot Zuck and The Great Zuckaissance (2024)

Following the Elon Musk fight fizzling out, the "Zuckaissance" kicked into high gear. Mark Zuckerberg ditched his conventional T-shirt and jeans for a wider variety of outfits. But the New Zuck wasn't truly born until he popped on the chain.

In an April 2024 Instagram post, Zuck announced a new set of features for Meta AI, but users were more attentive to his new drip. One user, in a flash of artistic inspiration, added a beard to Mark Zuckerberg.

Users online marveled at the chained and bearded Zuck, wondering if he was actually attractive to them now. At the same time, Zuckerberg diligently grew out his curls into one of the most visible and public examples of the Zoomer cut.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg when asked about the chain, Zuckerberg said he worked with a designer to make it and that it's engraved with a prayer he sings to his daughters every night when he puts them to bed. "It’s a Jewish prayer called Mi Shebeirach. And it’s basically a prayer for health and courage," he said, adding that he went through an in-depth design process to find the ideal look.

Zuckerberg's glow-up appears complete now. Zuck isn't cool by every standard, but he is cool by one of the most prevalent online. He's a bro.

To some, Zuck is viewed as trying to be "Zynternet cool," "Hawk Tuah cool" or "Barstool Sports cool." His patriotism, athleticism and enthusiasm for traditional family values have made Dave Portnoy jealous.

True Zuck?

With the evolution of Meta's CEO sufficiently recapped, is the new Zuck really the true Zuck?

It is hard to know what lies in the heart of any man, and memes are not always the best instrument to tell us. But what memes do show, perhaps, is what people want Zuck to be for them.

When the culture needed a villain to represent the tech sector in 2018, Zuckerberg was cast as that villain. He represented a view of tech as robotic, inhuman and estranged from the world of normal people.

Now, Zuck has morphed into something different. He's a family man, an avid hobbyist and an increasingly on-trend dresser. But he's also allowed further glimpses into his own life, using his product the way that other people his age use his product.

On Instagram, Zuckerberg shares himself playing video games in his apocalypse bunker, taking fun trips to foreign countries and enjoying sentimental anniversaries with his wife.

As one of the culture's most representative Millennials, Zuckerberg has grown up and evidently become more comfortable in his own skin.

The Zuck we get is the Zuck we need.