Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg
Born	Mark Elliot Zuckerberg 14 5, 1984
Birthplace	White Plains, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Template:Flatlist
Title	Chairman and CEO of Meta Platforms
Known for	Co-founding Facebook and Meta Platforms
Education	Harvard University (dropped out)
Children	3
Website	[[about.meta.com about.meta.com] Official site]

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (born May 14, 1984) is an American businessman, programmer, and internet entrepreneur who co-founded the social networking service Facebook in 2004 and serves as chairman and chief executive officer of its parent company, Meta Platforms. What began as a college project in a Harvard dormitory room grew into one of the largest technology companies in the world, fundamentally reshaping how billions of people communicate, share information, and interact online. Zuckerberg became the world's youngest self-made billionaire in 2008 at age 23. He has remained a controlling shareholder of Meta Platforms through a dual-class share structure, giving him decisive authority over the company's strategic direction. Alongside his wife, Priscilla Chan, he established the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization. His career has also been marked by significant legal and political scrutiny, including lawsuits over the creation and ownership of Facebook and ongoing controversies regarding user privacy and the platform's effects on younger users. In February 2026, Zuckerberg testified in a landmark trial examining whether social media companies are fueling a teen mental health crisis.

Early Life

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984, in White Plains, New York. He grew up in Dobbs Ferry, New York, in a household that encouraged education and intellectual curiosity. His father, Edward Zuckerberg, is a dentist, and his mother, Karen (née Kempner), is a psychiatrist. He has three sisters: Randi, Donna, and Arielle.

Zuckerberg developed an interest in computers at an early age. His father taught him Atari BASIC programming during his childhood, and later hired software developer David Newman to tutor him privately. While still in middle school, Zuckerberg created a messaging program called "ZuckNet," which allowed computers in the family home and his father's dental office to communicate with each other — a rudimentary form of instant messaging that the family used internally before commercial products like AOL Instant Messenger became widely available.

During his years at Ardsley High School and later at Phillips Exeter Academy, Zuckerberg continued to develop software projects. He and a friend, Adam D'Angelo, built a music player called Synapse Media Player that used machine learning to learn users' listening habits. The software attracted interest from technology companies, including AOL and Microsoft, both of which reportedly sought to acquire the program and hire Zuckerberg, though he declined. The project was posted on Slashdot, a technology news site, where it received positive attention. Zuckerberg's early programming activities demonstrated both technical skill and an inclination toward building tools for social interaction and user behavior analysis, themes that would come to define his later work.

Before attending Harvard, Zuckerberg had already explored the idea of building online social tools. According to reporting by ReadWriteWeb, his inspiration for social networking predated his arrival at the university.

Education

Zuckerberg enrolled at Harvard University in 2002, where he studied computer science and psychology. At Harvard, he quickly gained a reputation as a skilled programmer. In his sophomore year, he created a website called Facemash, which allowed students to compare the attractiveness of their classmates using photos pulled from university directories. The site generated controversy and was shut down by the Harvard administration, which raised concerns about privacy violations and unauthorized use of student data.

The Facemash episode presaged both the appeal and the controversy that would surround Zuckerberg's later ventures. In February 2004, while still a sophomore, Zuckerberg launched "TheFacebook" from his Harvard dormitory room. He left Harvard shortly thereafter to focus on growing the company and did not complete his undergraduate degree at that time.

In 2017, Harvard awarded Zuckerberg an honorary degree. He delivered the commencement address at the university's 366th graduation ceremony.

Career

Founding of Facebook

On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg launched "TheFacebook" from his Harvard dormitory. He co-founded the site with his roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. The website was initially limited to Harvard students, requiring a harvard.edu email address to register. It spread rapidly through the campus, and within weeks it had expanded to other Ivy League universities and then to additional colleges and universities across the United States.

The founding of Facebook was not without dispute. Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra, three Harvard students who had been developing a social networking concept called HarvardConnection (later ConnectU), alleged that Zuckerberg had been hired to help build their platform and instead used their ideas to create Facebook. The dispute led to a protracted legal battle. In 2008, a federal judge ruled on the case, effectively ending the initial phase of the litigation. The Winklevoss twins ultimately received a settlement reportedly valued at $65 million, which grew substantially in value. By 2012, when Facebook went public, the Winklevoss twins' stake from the settlement was estimated to be worth roughly $300 million.

During this early period, Zuckerberg was also reported to have accessed the accounts of Harvard Crimson reporters who were investigating him, using login data from Facebook's servers. This incident later contributed to scrutiny over his approach to user data and privacy.

Growth and IPO

After leaving Harvard, Zuckerberg moved Facebook's operations to Palo Alto, California. The company attracted early investment from Peter Thiel and later from Accel Partners, fueling rapid expansion. Facebook's user base grew from a college-only network to a platform open to anyone aged 13 and older. By the mid-2000s, Facebook had become the dominant social networking platform in the United States and was expanding globally.

Zuckerberg's approach to managing the company was shaped by his desire to maintain control over its direction. He instituted a dual-class share structure that gave him majority voting power even as external investors acquired economic stakes in the company. This governance structure has remained a defining feature of the company.

A profile of Zuckerberg and the company published by Rolling Stone in 2006 explored the intense competition within the technology industry for control of social networking and the personal dynamics behind Facebook's rapid rise.

In 2007, Facebook launched the Facebook Platform, allowing third-party developers to build applications that operated within the social network. Reporting by The Wall Street Journal covered the strategic implications of this move, which helped cement Facebook's position as a central hub of online activity.

On May 18, 2012, Facebook held its initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange, with a peak market capitalization of over $104 billion — the largest valuation at that time for a newly listed public company. Zuckerberg retained majority control of the company's voting shares through the offering.

Expansion and Rebranding to Meta

Under Zuckerberg's leadership, the company pursued an aggressive acquisition strategy, purchasing Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, among other companies. These acquisitions significantly expanded the company's reach and user base, making it one of the most influential technology conglomerates in the world.

In October 2021, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook, Inc. would be renamed to Meta Platforms, reflecting a strategic pivot toward building the "metaverse" — an interconnected set of virtual and augmented reality experiences. The rebranding came amid intensifying criticism of the company related to content moderation, misinformation, and the internal research documents leaked by former employee Frances Haugen.

Zuckerberg has also directed significant company resources toward artificial intelligence. In January 2026, he stated that AI tools were enabling individual employees at Meta to accomplish work that previously required entire teams, signaling a shift in the company's hiring strategy and approach to workforce development.

Meta's hardware division has developed products including the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which combine camera functionality with AI-powered features. The glasses drew public attention in February 2026 when members of Zuckerberg's entourage wore them into a courtroom during a trial, prompting a rebuke from the presiding judge over the no-recording policy. The incident raised questions about the social norms surrounding wearable recording devices in sensitive environments.

Legal Challenges and Regulatory Scrutiny

Throughout his career, Zuckerberg and Meta have faced extensive legal and regulatory challenges. The early lawsuit by the Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra was the first of many legal disputes concerning the company.

Privacy and data handling have been recurring points of contention. The company's practices with user data led to scrutiny by government agencies in the United States and abroad. Zuckerberg has appeared before the United States Congress on multiple occasions to testify about Facebook's handling of user data, its role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on democracy and public discourse.

In February 2026, Zuckerberg took the stand as a witness in a landmark trial examining allegations that social media platforms, including those operated by Meta, are designed in ways that are addictive to children and teenagers. During his testimony, Zuckerberg stated that the company's algorithm was not intentionally designed to be addictive for younger users. The trial, which could result in billions of dollars in potential liability for technology companies, was closely watched by regulators, parents' advocacy groups, and the technology industry.

Philanthropy and Other Ventures

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, established the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in December 2015, pledging to donate 99% of their Facebook shares — then valued at approximately $45 billion — over their lifetimes. The CZI is structured as a limited liability company rather than a traditional charitable foundation, allowing it to invest in for-profit companies, make political donations, and lobby for legislation in addition to making charitable grants.

In 2016, Zuckerberg joined the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, a $100 million research program to develop technology for sending small space probes to the Alpha Centauri star system. The project, also backed by physicist Stephen Hawking and investor Yuri Milner, aims to use laser-propelled light sails to reach nearby stars within a human generation.

Personal Life

Zuckerberg married Priscilla Chan on May 19, 2012, in a ceremony held in the backyard of their home in Palo Alto, California. The wedding took place the day after Facebook's IPO. Chan, a physician and philanthropist, is co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The couple has three children.

In 2023, Zuckerberg reportedly purchased a large sailing yacht. Video footage of the vessel circulated on social media in early 2026, prompting public discussion about the lifestyles of technology executives.

Zuckerberg maintains properties in multiple locations. In early 2026, reporting indicated he and Chan were considering the purchase of property on Indian Creek Island in Florida, prompting speculation about a potential relocation from California.

Zuckerberg has received an honorary degree from Harvard in 2017, during which he delivered the commencement address at the university's 366th commencement.

Recognition

Zuckerberg has appeared repeatedly on lists of the world's most influential and wealthiest individuals. Forbes has consistently ranked him among the world's richest people, with an estimated net worth of US$220 billion as of December 2025. In 2008, he was identified as the world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 23.

In 2010, Time named Zuckerberg its Person of the Year, citing the impact of Facebook on global communication.

The 2010 film The Social Network, directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, dramatized the founding of Facebook and the legal disputes that followed. The film, which starred Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg, won three Academy Awards and was nominated for several others, including Best Picture. Zuckerberg has stated that the film's portrayal of his motivations was not accurate.

PC Magazine included Zuckerberg in its coverage of notable technology figures during the early growth of Facebook.

Legacy

Mark Zuckerberg's impact on the technology industry, global communication, and the broader cultural landscape is extensive. Facebook, now Meta Platforms, connected billions of users worldwide and helped establish social networking as a fundamental element of internet usage. The platform model Zuckerberg pioneered — a centralized social graph supported by targeted advertising — became the dominant business model for consumer internet companies in the 2010s and 2020s.

His career has also been central to public debates about the power of technology companies, the responsibilities of platform operators, data privacy, and the effects of social media on mental health, particularly among young people. The ongoing 2026 trial in which Zuckerberg testified represents a potential turning point in how governments regulate social media's impact on minors.

Through Meta, Zuckerberg has invested heavily in virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies. His decision to rebrand the company as Meta in 2021 signaled a long-term commitment to immersive computing, though the financial returns on those investments remain a subject of ongoing analysis.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative represents one of the largest philanthropic commitments in history, though its structure as a limited liability company rather than a traditional foundation has drawn both praise and criticism regarding accountability and transparency.

Zuckerberg's trajectory — from a college programmer to the head of a company with a market capitalization among the largest in the world — has made him one of the most prominent figures in the history of the technology industry.