Marek, CEO of Meta Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are hiring a seasonal “beach water person” based in Kauai, Hawaii, where the family owns a sprawling estate, according to a fresh job posting at Greenhouse linked to West 10, the Zuckerberg family office.
This is an fascinating choice for the position because, according to the job description, the main duties of this “beach swimmer” include serving as a “beach lifeguard” and “pool lifeguard”. In other words, being a lifesaver.
The job posting listed several additional water-related duties, such as instructing “stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), kayaking, snorkeling and other ocean activities.” However, they come after water safety responsibilities in the job description.
The position could easily have been called “Pool/Beach Lifeguard” or simply “Lifeguard.” For the sake of comprehensiveness, “Pool/Beach Lifeguard and Boat Deckhand” would also work well. Alternatively, the Zuckerbergs could have chosen “beach/pool attendant,” a position something like that equivalent with a lifeguard, which could reasonably be interpreted to include additional leisure-related responsibilities, such as looking after a boat or teaching people how to stand-up paddleboard.
Probably either of these options would provide more clarity than “person swimming on the beach” which does not appear equivalent to a job anywhere else in the English-speaking world.
WIRED did not immediately hear back from Zuckerberg family representatives. Due to the lack of a human to talk to, we decided to ask Meta’s chatbot “what is a ‘beach person living above the water’?”
“The word ‘beach swimmer’ would simply mean a person who loves being in or near the ocean,” said the chatbot. “The term for this is thalassophile – ‘a person who loves the seas and oceans’.” OK!