I actually find Zuckerberg about as "awkward" as Bill Gates. I think people understand that, well, Mark is a nerd, and his nerdiness isn't going anywhere.
So if he just stays nice, and do charitable things, people will eventually like him. It has already started, The Social Network has been huge boost for that.
So aside from execution, what's the difference between the portrayal of Zuck in TSN and that of Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley? Both characters come off as more interesting and in a weird way, likeable than their real-world counterparts. Even Jobs is far more charismatic in PoSV than in real life. PoSV came out when Microsoft was in its prime and its portrayal of Gates was in many ways similar to that of Zuck in TSN, but it didn't seem to hurt him any.
I'm not sure.
PoSV is more a movie about Steve Jobs than anything else. TSN and PoSV both show to the public that "he (Bill & Mark) is not an evil blood/money-thirsty being, he had some opportunities and took them".
If PoSV was made about Bill, it would have been even more similar to TSN.
So if he just stays nice, and do charitable things, people will eventually like him. It has already started, The Social Network has been huge boost for that.