Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, has beefed up security at his home and is now protected by 16 bodyguards.
The news comes courtesy of a Page Six report, which shares the change Zuckerberg has made recently.
"Sources told us that Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg has 16 bodyguards now working at his home. He has guards over at his place," said a Palo Alto, California insider to the publication.
The insider also let on that tech tycoons in the town are quietly increasing security. Why has Ziuckerberg suddenly added more bodyguards you wonder?
Even though it is a common practice for prominent CEOs to have several bodyguards to protect them, the publication suggests that Zuckerberg has beefed up security possibly due to online threats from Facebook users.
Tech CEOs in Silicon Valley are also increasing their security for similar reasons. Insiders have spilled that tech moguls are often compelled to hire several bodyguards when faced with intimidation by unstable users.
As one of the sources points out, the CEOs are touching the lives of several million people worldwide and a threat from even a minor percentage of disgruntled users can be scary.
"All the CEOs get threats, and they take them very seriously," says the source. These threats can sometimes extend to the family members of the CEO, which will be unnerving.
Facebook also comes under scrutiny and threat because some people see it as the primary reason for a failed romance, a catalyst for divorce or breakup. These angry users may end up blaming the social networking site for their situation, and perhaps harbor ill feelings toward those behind it.
Moreover, if these dissatisfied and resentful Facebook users, happen to be unbalanced, they could even carry out the threats made online.
Facebook had more than a billion daily active average users in December 2015. Even if a small percentage of the user base becomes aggrieved, this translates to quite a lot of people being fed up, if one was to do the math.
Therefore, as a precautionary measure, Zuckerberg has increased his bodyguard team's strength to 16. The Facebook CEO was also in a skirmish with his neighbors last month, who complained that he "permanently" and "illegally" takes up two of the prime parking spots.
For those thinking that all 16 security people operate at the same time - no. They work in different shifts.
Photo: Andrew Feinberg | Flickr
