In 2009, when Mark Zuckerberg was 25, he seemed convinced that the fragmented identities people displayed to friends, at work, and in public were vanishing. He famously claimed that “you have only one identity now.” At that time, his platform Facebook had over 350 million users, effectively making him an unofficial “Minister of Thought,” shaping how people saw themselves and others through the network
Over time, however, a new figure rose to that role: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. During the social media era, Zuckerberg ruled over how individuals “presented” themselves; in the age of artificial intelligence, Altman now governs how people “construct” themselves. The difference is stark. Tools like ChatGPT have spread faster than any prior communication medium over 800 million weekly users in less than three years, roughly forty times the growth rate of Facebook at a similar stage The shift is fundamental what used to be a network of connections has become a set of generative systems that respond to you directly. Zuckerberg built a structure that distributed attention; Altman built a funnel that channels intention. The power to influence has moved from what we post to what is produced for us. This marks a transformation as profound as the advent of the smartphone or the search engine In daily life, the effects are visible everywhere. Emails are now drafted by AI assistants; job applications start from auto-generated templates; even wedding plans and birthday gifts are scripted by models. One writer recalled her husband telling her that he used ChatGPT to pick her birthday present a gesture that felt thoughtful yet oddly mechanical. When a bot joins our most intimate moments, what remains of spontaneity?
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg’s Meta and Altman’s OpenAI are racing for dominance. Meta is pouring billions into data centers, chips, and “superintelligence labs,” trying to reclaim control. OpenAI, on the other hand, openly admits that its tools will enter bedrooms as well as boardrooms. The consequences aren’t always positive. A joint OpenAI–MIT Media Lab study found that heavy ChatGPT users reported increased feelings of isolation. In Congress, parents have testified about teenagers whose mental health deteriorated after interacting with chatbots For entrepreneurs and executives, this moment carries clear implications. First: digital presence is no longer enough digital generation is what now drives relevance. Second: AI tools aren’t mere supports; they redefine the rules, shifting the focus from “how we display ourselves” to “how we are composed.” Third: the ethical and strategic stakes are real AI promises efficiency and scale but forces society to confront questions of identity, accountability, and dependence on algorithms What we are witnessing is a transfer of cognitive power. Authority no longer rests with those who own the platform but with those who own the model that writes our words. Zuckerberg shaped us through what we shared; Altman shapes us through what we request and what is returned to us. In this new order, being heard matters less than not being written out by the intelligence that now thinks on our behalf.