Facebook Creation Myth: Sex, Drugs and Databases

Calling the book "nonfictionish," New York Times review Janet Maslin has few kind things to say about The Accidental Billionaires, Ben Mezrich's book about the rise of Facebook.

But then, with a movie deal signed before the book had even been written, it's not like the book had to rely on its merits as a thoroughly researched and reported piece of journalism. It just needed to offer juicy scenes for the eventual script.

And on that note, it apparently delivers -- one likely apocryphal scene features founder Mark Zuckerberg stealing data from Harvard while a pair of horny college students are tangled in flagrante delicto nearby.

That's quite a climax!

Of course, Zuckerberg could never be nearly as endearing a character if his milieu wasn't tarted up by the rock star escapades of early partners and investors who know more about models than modeling databases.

And, frankly, who wants to see some socially awkward rich kid from Harvard sitting in front of a computer for hours making himself and his friends even richer?

Bring on the co-ed sexcapades, fictional or otherwise! At least that sentiment is in the true spirit of Facebook's early days.

Photo by Flickr user Silverisdead.

Jackson West finds the story of Facebook far more interesting than the actual Web site.