Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Facebook's headquarters later this month to take part in one of the social-networking giant's townhall-style question-and-answer sessions, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced late Saturday.
"I am excited to announce that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will be visiting Facebook HQ later this month for a Townhall Q&A," Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page. "I had the chance to visit Prime Minister Modi in India last year and it's an honor to have the chance to host him here at Facebook."
Described by the UK's Financial Times as "India's first social media prime minister," Modi is considered one of the world's most tech-savvy politicians, attracting large followings on his Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as China's Twitter-like microblogging community Weibo and Viber chat. In March, Time magazine named Modi as one of the "30 most influential people in the Internet."
Among the topics to be discussed at Facebook's Menlo Park, California, headquarters on September 27 is how communities can work together to address social and economic challenges. Zuckerberg encouraged his followers to submit questions on Facebook to be posed to the prime minister during the Q&A.
The ask-me-anything (AMA) chat format has grown in popularity in recent years. President Barack Obama went on the website Reddit in 2012 to answer questions on topics ranging from space exploration to the openness of the Internet. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and comedian Louis CK have done AMAs as well.
Since his first event in November, Zuckerberg has held an event about once a month. He's also held the events in various locations, spanning from Colombia to Spain. Though he typically ends up repeating many of his statements about free speech, technology and societal issues, he has also given some insight into the way he works and what he sometimes thinks about.
Last year, he expanded on earlier comments he made about the Hollywood portrayal of Facebook's founding in Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Network." In the past, he'd said the one thing the movie got right was his clothing, a joke undercutting the film's veracity. But talking in a live broadcast in November,he said the movie had been "hurtful."
He's also discussed terrorism, Internet traffic rules and the possibility of adding a "dislike" button to Facebook.
The September 27 Q&A with Modi will begin at 9:30 a.m. PT, 12:30 p.m. ET and 5:30 p.m. UK.