Hernán Botbol (Photo: Meghan Stone)
Hernán Botbol, 30, is one of the co-founders of Taringa!, the most visited Latin American online community in the world. Last September, Hernán launched Socialphy, an English version of the popular virtual community. Users share all types of information through a collaborative system of interactive content, hoping to gain recognition from the community and contribute to its “Collective Intelligence”.
What is your earliest memory?
Playing in my old home’s backyard with my mum
What is your most treasured possession?
The biggest extension of my self: my notebook
What would your superpower be?
Telepathy
What is your favourite word?
Viral
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
I won’t ever, ever, marry or have kids with you.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
One day before the biggest lottery in history
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
When I was three I got electrocuted and I was very, very lucky to have my uncle around to save me. If he hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Very clean, fresh air
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Steve Jobs. He had a vision, and he made it true
I’m sorry to break this to you Hernán, but Steve’s dead
[laughs]. Right, Steve is dead. Well if I have to pick someone who’s still alive, Mark Zuckerberg: when he was just a kid, or barely an adult, he built one of the biggest internet companies in history!
To whom would you most like to say thank you, and why?
Mum and Dad, for giving me life
What is your greatest fear?
Death, disappearing
What song would you like played at your funeral?
‘Wish You Were Here’, by Pink Floyd
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be and why?
The stupidity that drives people to war and suffering
What is your favourite book?
‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’, by Milan Kundera
What is your most unappealing habit?
Using massive amounts of hand sanitiser
