Marc Andreessen colonialism remark: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg calls it 'deeply upsetting'

After Facebook’s Free basics was booted out of India lately, Facebook’s board member Marc Andreessen had taken to Twitter to express disdain, which included his anti-colonialism remark (now deleted) for Indians. Now, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has distanced himself and the company from statements made by Andreessen. After Facebook released a statement saying, “We strongly reject the sentiments expressed by Marc Andreessen last night regarding India”, Zuckerberg has taken to writing a personal note stating he found the comments deeply upsetting. He writes: I want to respond to Marc Andreessen’s comments about India yesterday. I found the comments deeply upsetting, and they do not represent the way Facebook or I think at all. India has been personally important to me and Facebook. Early on in my thinking about our mission, I traveled to India and was inspired by the humanity, spirit and values of the people. It solidified my understanding that when all people have the power to share their experiences, the entire world will make progress. Facebook stands for helping to connect people and giving them voice to shape their own future. But to shape the future we need to understand the past. As our community in India has grown, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the need to understand India’s history and culture. I’ve been inspired by how much progress India has made in building a strong nation and the largest democracy in the world, and I look forward to strengthening my connection to the country. (Also read: Facebook: Free Basics is no longer available in India ) Andreessen had set off a controversy by terming India’s decision to bar discriminatory Internet tariff as an “anti-colonialist” idea, saying the country would have been better off if it remained under British rule. Andreessen, or @pmarca as he’s known on Twitter, wrote: “Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?”    https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/697226616812900352 The comments drew sharp criticism from netizens with some calling Facebook’s Free Basics plan as Internet colonialism. Differential pricing would mean discrimination of Internet and violating principles of net neutrality. After all, companies like Facebook were born out of free Internet. Andreessen’s thoughts only make it clear how important it was to axe Free Basics, or shall we say Internet colonialism, out of the country.