Facebook’s Zuckerberg to meet Medvedev for tech talks: report
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a keynote during a Facebook f8 Developer Conference at the San Francisco Design Center in September.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, known for his keen interest in technology, is set to meet with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in Moscow next week, according to Russian news agencies cited by Agence-France Press.
More from GlobalPost: Turkey's Erdogan takes Russia, China, Iran to task over Syria conflict
Facebook is not as popular in Russia as it is elsewhere due to the succeess of rival social network VKontakte and others, said AFP.
Nevertheless, Medvedev, an avid user of social networks — he has nearly 1.5 million followers on Twitter — has arranged a special meeting with Zuckerberg on Monday, the prime minister's spokeswoman Natalya Timakova announced today.
The two will reportedly discuss social media innovation in Russia, a sometimes controversial topic due to the opposition's use of such platforms for organizing anti-government activity, as well as plans for new technology pursuits at Russia's hoped-for equivalent to the US' Silicon Valley — the Skolkovo complex.
The Kremlin in July announced plans to start its own Facebook-style social network, reported The Guardian, which is currently being developed and is scheduled to launch next June.
While in Moscow, Zuckerberg will also reportedly take part in the Facebook World Hack event bringing programmers together to brainstorm on the future of social media, according to AFP.
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?