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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Mark Zuckerberg told a Taylor Swift-struck young daughter, August, that she “can’t” grow up to be like Swift, because that was “not available” to her. In his telling on the Acquired podcast, August then reframed her wish: she wanted other people to want to be like her. The exchange dates to a 2024 recording and resurfaced as a viral clip in October 2026.
What Zuckerberg said happened
According to The Independent’s September 19, 2024 report on his podcast remarks, the story began after the family took August to a Taylor Swift concert. Zuckerberg described her reaction in these words, as quoted by the paper:
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“One day, my daughter. We took her to a Taylor Swift concert and she was like, ‘You know Dad, I kind of want to be like Taylor Swift when I grow up,'”
His reply, according to the same account:
“I was like, ‘But you can’t. That’s not available to you.'”
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The headline’s shorthand, that he said she “would never” be like Swift, is a paraphrase of that reply. The words he is reported to have used were “you can’t,” and he framed the limit as a fact about her options rather than a judgment about her talent.
How August reframed the ambition
Zuckerberg said August thought about it and came back with a different goal:
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“Alright when I grow up I want people to want to be like August Chan Zuckerberg,”
His own reaction, as reported, was enthusiastic: “Hell yeah. Hell yeah.” The Independent describes August as his second-oldest daughter.
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- Taylor Swift has announced her ninth studio album, evermore; folklore's sister record
Zuckerberg’s stated lesson
India Today’s October 2026 report quotes him giving the point a general form: “Learn from other people’s successes and failures, but do your own thing.” That is his own interpretation of the exchange. It is not a parenting rule, and neither report presents it as research-backed advice.
The Independent also reports that he took his daughters to an Eras Tour concert in California the previous July, and that he wore friendship bracelets there. Those details are context for the concert; they do not change what he said about August’s ambition.
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Why the story is circulating again
The conversation is not new. The Independent says the episode was filmed on September 10, 2024, and its article ran on September 19, 2024. India Today places the conversation in 2024, when August was about seven, and says a clip of the exchange went viral in October 2026. The renewed attention is the 2026 recirculation of a 2024 recording.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is and is not established
- Established by the reports: Zuckerberg made these remarks on the Acquired podcast, and two outlets reported them with the quoted wording.
- Not established: an official transcript of the episode, independent confirmation of the private conversation, or how August felt about it. India Today’s claim that she was not upset is not corroborated by the other report.
- Interpretation, not finding: the “do your own thing” lesson belongs to Zuckerberg. It describes his view of the exchange and should not be read as evidence about parenting.
Because both reports are secondary accounts of podcast speech, the quotations are best read as reported remarks rather than a verified transcript.
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