The tech billionaire has spent the past week travelling around the US to meet the people. But is he planning a run for the White House or trying to restore trust in his company?

Why are people convinced Mark Zuckerberg is gearing up for a presidential run? Well, for months now, Zuckerberg’s Facebook profile has looked less and less like that of a tech CEO and more like that of a man out to win the Iowa caucus on the way to an outsider bid for the White House.

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At the beginning of the year, he announced that, as his “personal challenge for 2017”, he would visit and meet people in every US state. In February, he published a 5,700-word State of the Union-style post on the future of Facebook. He also announced he no longer considers himself an atheist – a stance far less problematic for a presidential hopeful.

First of all he visited a Ford factory in Michigan and, last week, he made a surprise visit to Ohio, hosted by a family of Democrats who voted for Donald Trump. By the weekend he was on to Indiana, where he “stopped by” at the fire department in Elkhart, and had a ride around town with Mayor Peter Buttigieg of South Bend. Next on the trail was Wisconsin, for a photo opportunity feeding a calf on a farm while also enjoying another family dinner. He concluded his travels by sampling that Wisconsin favourite, brat and cheese curds. And, of course, his every move has been documented with photos and videos on the site he built.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Just an ordinary working man: Zuckerberg drops in on the Elkhart central fire department. Photograph: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook

During Barack Obama’s presidency, the idea that the head of Facebook could have presidential ambitions may have seemed laughable. But now a reality TV star holds the nuclear codes, it feels as if all options are on the table.

Camp Zuck has categorically denied all rumours. When asked by BuzzFeed in January, the Facebook boss answered with an emphatic “No.” His line has always been that he is focusing on building Facebook and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a project he runs with his wife, Priscilla Chan. But some say there’s no smoke without fire. Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton wrote: “When I’ve asked people in Silicon Valley if a Zuckerberg bid is potentially real, the consensus seems to be: absolutely.” Yet Bilton added that becoming US president would actually be a step down for the founder of a website with 1.8 billion monthly users. “As the chief of Facebook, he is already the true leader of the free world.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘Can I count on your vote?’ You can’t go wrong with a cute calf. Photograph: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook

Others say this certainly is a political campaign – just not for elected office. From fake news to the way it moderates suspect content, Facebook has faced hefty criticism recently. Some pundits have suggested the recent moves are more about restoring public trust in Facebook. “Zuckerberg’s manifesto suggests a far more significant effort by Facebook to wage a campaign for the public’s trust,” wrote Kathleen Chaykowski in Forbes. “Facebook can’t survive without users’ satisfaction and attention.”

Whatever the case, prepare for widespread speculation in the run up to presidential elections in 2020 and 2024. And, who knows: given the way 2017 has gone so far, perhaps we will live to see Zuckerberg v Kanye yet.