Zuckerberg Ditches Goggles In North Dakota Oilpatch Tour
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Mark Zuckerberg toured a North Dakota drilling rig on Tuesday. The Facebook boss peppered industry workers in the No. 2 U.S. oil-producing state with questions about automation, safety and fracking — but forgot to wear his goggles.
The visit to North Dakota, which pumps about 1.1 million barrels of oil per day – more than some OPEC members – is part of Zuckerberg’s plan to tour all 50 states this year and learn about their local economies and communities.
While Zuckerberg, 33, is a vocal supporter of renewable energy development, he said the visit gave him an alternative perspective.
“Many people I talked to here acknowledged (climate change), but also feel a sense of pride that their work contributes to serving real needs we all have every day – keeping our homes warm, getting to work, feeding us and more,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post early Wednesday morning.
In a picture accompanying the Facebook post, Zuckerberg can be seen wearing the oilfield uniform of fire-resistant coveralls and a hard hat. He is not wearing safety glasses or gloves but holds them in his left hand, a violation of rig safety rules.
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