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Zuckerberg Encourages Theatergoers to Use Their Phones While Movie Is Playing

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now actively rallying theatergoers to use their accursed smartphones when they're at the movies.

Uncontent with merely turning Facebook and Instagram into right-wing hellscapes of AI slop, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now actively rallying theatergoers to pull out their glowingly annoying smartphones when they're at the movies.

As Variety reports, Meta is teaming up with the horror film studio Blumhouse to bring the "second screen" experience to its single-night re-release of "M3GAN" on April 30.

Dubbed "Halfway to Halloween," the production company's limited engagement will also include "Annabelle" and "Ma," two of its other big hits — but it's clear that "M3GAN," with its hotly anticipated upcoming sequel, is the star of the show.

Using chatbot technology that Meta refers to as "Movie Mate" — a new spin, perhaps, on Zuckerberg's cringey push to get his subordinates to refer to each other as "Meta Mates" back when he was all-in on virtual reality — fans will be able to talk to an AI version of the iconic robot.

There is, however, a catch.

"Movie Mate is only available to moviegoers who are in a theater," the studio explained in a statement provided to Variety, "and works by DM'ing the Instagram account @M3GAN account to start the experience."

When we asked Meta how this location-specific gambit works, a company spokesperson told Futurism that a "code will be displayed on the movie screen prior to the trailers" to verify that users are in the theater, and they would subsequently be provided with instructions on how to initiate the DM convo. Though that's better than using some sort of creepy geofencing, it also sounds like it requires a non-minimal amount of effort — which equals, of course, more light pollution inside dark theaters packed with patrons for the single-night screenings.

Beyond the "M3GAN" chatbot, the promotion will also include more traditional marketing incentives like "sneak peeks, exclusive recorded messages from directors and talent from the films, and surprise special appearances in select markets," Blumhouse said in its statement.

Amid this desperate attempt to make Meta relevant post-Metaverse, many folks are not thrilled at the thought of studios intentionally and actively encouraging people to ruin the movie theater experience.

"I feel like M3GAN would actually kill moviegoers who used [Movie Mate]," one Bluesky user quipped.

"It's feeling like we've lost the fight on this one," Bloody Disgusting editor-in-chief John Squires tweeted, "and the next generation of the theater-going experience will be tailored to the youth and the way they consume movies, which is very different than the way most of us do."

"Hollywood will likely lean in," he continued. "And maybe they have to."

In response to the news, the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain confirmed to Variety that it won't be participating in the monstrous "Movie Mate" campaign — though, to be fair, that decision could be an attempt to gain back goodwill from pro-labor cinephiles who boycotted during a recently-ended strike protesting layoffs.

Though Meta is far from the first company to attempt this kind of ghoulish "second screen marketing," bringing it to theaters — and to a single-night engagement in particular — is indeed horrific.

More on Meta: Instagram Showing Users Grotesque Videos of Human-Animal Hybrids

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Zuckerberg Encourages Theatergoers to Use Their Phones While Movie Is Playing

Tim Cook Has a Strange Obsession

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Apple CEO Tim Cook is far from giving up on virtual and augmented reality headsets, a gadget category that has been rife with risky bets.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is far from giving up on virtual and augmented reality headsets, a gadget category that has been rife with setbacks and risky bets that didn't pan out.

As Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported over the weekend, the tech giant is getting ready to launch not one, but two updated versions of its Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed-reality headset that has seen sluggish sales and even given wearers black eyes.

That's despite rumors circulating last summer that Apple had given up on a follow-up device of the uber-expensive gadget.

In fact, Cook is so convinced of the segment that he's looking to beat Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — who shares an obsession with AR and VR headsets — to market. According to Bloomberg, Cook wants to create a pair of AR glasses that buyers can wear all day.

"Tim cares about nothing else," an insider with knowledge of the matter told Gurman. "It’s the only thing he’s really spending his time on from a product development standpoint."

But given the segment's well-documented challenges in wooing a mainstream market, that could be far easier said than done. We've seen numerous products fail to live up to the hype, particularly in the VR space.

As far as wearable smart glasses are concerned, Meta has some experience. Its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, which feature bone-conducting earphones, a camera, and a microphone, have proven surprisingly popular.

However, to call them augmented reality glasses would be an overstatement, as they can't overlay data or other info over the wearer's vision.

Earlier this month, Gurman reported that Meta is looking to follow up its glasses with a $1,000-plus deluxe version, which includes a screen for displaying photos and apps. But details are still pretty sparse and the company has yet to announce a release date.

Whether Apple can swoop in and release a lighter and cheaper pair of AR glasses remains to be seen. Even coming up with a successor to its much beefier and unwieldy Vision Pro headset could prove challenging. According to Bloomberg, the goal is to greatly reduce both weight and price, which is an appreciable challenge, especially considering the possibility of escalating tariffs on Chinese imports.

To make the jump to a light accessory that has the same form factor as a pair of sunglasses is substantial. As a stepping stone, Apple is reportedly looking to attach a camera to its Apple Watch and AirPods, an admittedly awkward answer to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses.

In short, where Cook's obsession with beating Zuckerberg to the punch will leave Apple's foray into the glasses space is anyone's guess — though if there's one thing we know about Apple, it's that the company hates to lose.

More on Apple: Apple's AI-Powered Siri Is Such a Disaster That Employees Have Given the Team Developing It a Rude Nickname

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Cringey Tech Execs Swoon Over Mark Zuckerberg’s "Cool" New Look

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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a newfound sense of, er, style — and his fellow techsters are very into it.

Throwing Fits

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a newfound sense of, er, style — and his fellow tech leaders are very into it.

As the Washington Post reports, the 40-year-old tech mogul's new look features shirts like his flashy "AUT ZUCK AUT NIHIL" one, which he created in tandem with a menswear designer as part of a larger capsule collection.

And his "bro-ified" sense of personal style is capturing all the right attention.

Along with rocking custom tees, the millennial billionaire's grown-out curls and newly-built physique courtesy of his mixed martial arts (MMA) hobby seem indicative not just of a fresh look, but also of a fresh outlook.

That's at least according to other tech execs who are seemingly trying to score points with the billionaire.

"[It’s] resonated with a younger generation in terms of style and presentation," tech investor Brianne Kimmel, the founder of the Worklife Ventures firm, told the WaPo of Zuckerberg's new swag. "There’s a cool factor that didn’t exist before, and now male tech CEOs have a playbook to achieve similar results."

Beyond that new "cool"-ness is, apparently, a new confidence that has become apparent to investors and admirers alike.

"I don’t apologize anymore," an all-grown-up and feisty Zuckerberg said during a lengthy taped discussion of the "Acquired" podcast last month.

"We’ve noticed," one of the hosts responded.

Good Vibrations

Even ex-employees are feeling the allure of Zuck's new vibe.

"Zuckerberg is ruthless as both a leader and an executive, but in his heart, he’s just a start-up guy who wants to be cool with the nerds," a former Facebook executive told the newspaper. "He’s living his best life."

Though the Meta CEO may well have come to this style evolution on his own, WaPo has also uncovered evidence that it could have been steered by none other than former PayPal CEO and billionaire investor Peter Thiel, a trusted mentor and advisor to the younger tech scion.

In a 2020 email disclosed during discovery in a lawsuit filed against Meta by the state of Tennessee, Thiel encouraged Zuckerberg to redo his image to appeal to youthful audiences.

"As the head of the most successful Millennial tech company, it makes more sense for Zuckerberg to present himself as 'Millennial spokesperson,'" rather than "'Mark as a Baby Boomer construct of how a well-behaved Millennial is supposed to act,'" the 56-year-old entrepreneur wrote to his younger protegé.

"Finally, I think there’s also some distinction between me and the company here," Zuckerberg responded. "This is likely particularly important for how I show up because I’m the most well-known person of my generation."

Though it's impossible to say whether that advice is at the heart of the Meta CEO's rebrand, he did seem eager to follow it — and lo and behold, just a few years later, we have a spiffy new Zuck.

More on Meta: Zuckerberg Says It's Fine to Train AI on Your Data Because It Probably Has No Value Anyway

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Cringey Tech Execs Swoon Over Mark Zuckerberg’s "Cool" New Look