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Comment by Tyrek | Hacker News Reader

It seems equally reasonable to withdraw from doing business in countries where you can't bother to show up for a hearing. Where do you draw the line?

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> Facebook said is it sending Kevin Chan, its head of public policy for Facebook Canada, and Neil Potts, its director of public policy, to the meeting instead.

They're sending multiple people, just not the CEO. It's logistically impossible for a CEO to be in every country at every government's whim, and also run their company. Shouldn't a company be allowed to choose who represents it legally?

If you had to make a list of things that you'd think a CEO would be responsible for, this sure seems like one of them.

If they've got enough people to send in their place, then they also have enough people to run the company while they do the things like this.

It's not like it's just any country's whim, it's a group of G7 countries conveniently meeting next door.

If every single little country was calling on them all the time, then yeah maybe, but this seems like one of those "pick and choose" situation where you should send the CEO and Founder.

Is there any chance that Zuckerberg (or his subordinate) will say anything that everyone doesn't already know? What is the point of him appearing exactly?

Politicians are looking for a soundbite and to humiliate him.

He should already be humiliated, the fact that he isn't is very disturbing.

Yeah like when Zuckerberg told senator Leahy, he'd get back to him about the issue he was being asked about. It'd be the perfect chance to finally answer that question.

> What is the point of him appearing exactly?

Zuckerberg makes great fodder for Bad Lip Reading. :) [0]

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zCDvOsdL9Q

The potential, albeit unlikely, that questioning Zuck causes him to feel the smallest iota of shame for his actions in destabilizing democracy.

> If every single little country was calling on them all the time, then yeah maybe, but this seems like one of those "pick and choose" situation where you should send the CEO and Founder.

So legal authority is determined by the size of the nation? Or the number? They either can or cannot compel him to do so, regardless of size or number.

Facebook famously answers in scenarios like this “I’m not sure” in order to avoid answering questions. It is not sufficient for a lackey to go considering this.

A CEO who flies a private jet with great connectivity can't take a day to make a 4 hour flight (where he can continue to work and take calls) to show up? What are you worried about? He's going to be stuck in lines all day and won't be able to work on the plane because he didn't want to buy airplane wifi?

If there's anyone who will simply not be disrupted AT ALL by this kind of visit, it's the CEO of a $500bn company who has the resources of a small nation at his disposal. Hell, it's even practically the same time zone.

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