Born on 14 May 1984 in White Plains, New York, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American media proprietor, internet entrepreneur, and humanitarian. According to Forbes, he is famously known as the co-founder of Facebook, the biggest social media platform, and one of the richest people. On October 28, 2021, Facebook Inc. announced its rebranding to Meta.com, bringing various brands under its umbrella, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads etc.
Zuck launched Facebook on February 4, 2004. The site expanded drastically, reaching one billion users by 2012. He became the only person under 40 on Forbes’ list of the 20 richest people. He also inspired the popular movie The Social Network.
As of June 2024, his net worth is $177 billion, making him one of the richest people in the world. His father, Edward Zuckerberg, was a dentist, and his mother, Karen, was a psychiatrist.
Mark excelled in his studies, as evidenced by his prizes in mathematics, physics, astronomy, and classical studies. Even though he is a Harvard dropout, this did not stop him from creating Facebook.
Mark, being a visionary, sensed the upcoming demand for virtual reality. In 2014, he acquired Oculus, a virtual reality startup, in a $2 billion deal. He dreams of creating a Metaverse where people can own their digital properties in a virtual universe. He has given the project his all and has invested a lot of money to make it succeed.
A legal controversy involved criticism of Facebook. Soon after starting Facebook, which started as thefacebook.com, Mark was sued by Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra, resulting in immense frustration and stress.
That matter was agreed to be settled for 1.2 million Facebook shares. Before the launch of thefacebook.com, Mark launched the Facemash, a system that allowed students to pick the better-looking person from a set of photos, either male or female.
However, the students complained that their photos were being used without their consent, and Harvard later sealed the case. It demanded Mark issue apologies and ask the student paper to call the site “completely improper.”
Zuckerberg also donated 18 million Facebook shares to charity under “The Giving Pledge.” Mark married Priscilla Chan on May 19, 2012, and they have two daughters.
Meta’s market valuation cap is around $1.54 trillion as of Dec. 6, 2024, making it one of the biggest companies in the world.
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