"At this year's All thing Digital Conference in Ranchno Palos Verdes, CA, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher of the Wall Street Journal showed off the most popular handout: an official "D" hoodie, in honor of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg had peeled off his company-designed hoodie to show audience the words inside ""Making the World More Open and Connected."
But what really set bogs like the Huffington Post afire last year was the searing image of the social media titan "sweating profusely" under intense questioning. The rumors spread like wildfire that he "could not handle the pressure" and "dodged questions" about Facebook's privacy issues.
Well, here is the REAL DEAL of what happened at D8, and it had little to do with a sweaty, evasive or dodgy CEO.
About 45 minutes before Zuckerberg's appearance on stage, he was swimming laps at the Terranea Resort's pool. At one point, as he was calmly toweling off, he yelled over to another swimmer "Do you know what time it is?" A few seconds later, he said: "What? Oh. Oh!!! I'm late!" He quickly gathered up his belongings, slipped on his flipflops and hurried out of the pool area.
A short while later, outside the main conference center, on the flagstone patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean, COO Sheryl Sandberg was observed walking very very quickly towards the conference doors, Zuckerberg trotting a few paces behind her. His hair was damp and curly from his swim, and at one point he was running to keep up with Sandberg as the guards checked their passes and guided them inside
So there you have it. A busy young executive simply trying to squeeze in a little exercise and relaxation before a high-profile speech. The complete opposite of an unfocused, arrogant or nervous tech mogul portrayed by many media outlets and blog sites.
We've got your back Zuckerberg. Everyone is entitled to a decent workout now and then. But we suggest you pick up a water-resistant watch so you can better tell time when you do hit the pool.