
Mark Zuckerberg
Born 1984 · Age 41
American computer programmer and entrepreneur; co‑founder, chairman and CEO of Facebook (now Meta Platforms); co‑founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in White Plains, New York
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg born to Edward (dentist) and Karen (psychiatrist) Zuckerberg; raised in Dobbs Ferry, NY.
Creates early messaging program 'ZuckNet'
At about age 11 Zuckerberg created 'ZuckNet' to allow computers at home and his father's dental office to communicate.
Forms Intelligent Media Group / builds Synapse
In high school Zuckerberg co‑founded Intelligent Media Group and helped develop Synapse Media Player, an early music recommendation/player using machine learning.
Transfers to Phillips Exeter Academy
Zuckerberg attended Phillips Exeter Academy (prep school), excelled academically and captained the fencing team.
Enrolls at Harvard University
Began studies in psychology and computer science at Harvard; lived in Kirkland House and joined Alpha Epsilon Pi.
Creates CourseMatch at Harvard
Built CourseMatch to help students choose classes and form study groups using peers' course choices.
Builds Facemash (controversial campus site)
Created Facemash, a site that let Harvard students compare student photos; site was shut down by the university and provoked disciplinary action.
Secures seed investment from Peter Thiel
Early investor Peter Thiel provided seed financing to Facebook, commonly reported as $500,000 in late 2004.
Accused by Winklevosses / ConnectU dispute begins
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra accused Zuckerberg of stealing idea for HarvardConnection (ConnectU); dispute later resulted in litigation and a settlement.
Launches 'Thefacebook' (Facebook)
Launched Thefacebook.com from his Harvard dorm in partnership with roommates Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Andrew McCollum.
Drops out of Harvard and moves to Palo Alto
Left Harvard in sophomore year to focus on Facebook; relocated to Palo Alto with co‑founders and established early offices (leased house as office).
Co‑founds Wirehog (peer‑to‑peer project)
Alongside Andrew McCollum, Adam D'Angelo and Sean Parker, launched Wirehog, a campus peer‑to‑peer file sharing project (precursor to platform features).
Accel Partners invests in Facebook
Accel Partners led a venture round that invested $12.7 million into Facebook (widely reported as May 2005).
Facebook opens to high school students / renames 'Facebook'
Following growth on campuses, Facebook expanded to high schools and broadened registration; in 2005 the 'the' was dropped from site name.
Eduardo Saverin lawsuit and settlement (filed/settled)
Co‑founder Eduardo Saverin filed suit alleging misuse of funds; settled out of court (terms sealed) but Saverin remained acknowledged as co‑founder.
Added to MIT Technology Review TR35 list
Named one of the top 35 innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review.
Microsoft strategic investment
Microsoft bought approximately 1.6% of Facebook for roughly $240 million (2007), marking a major strategic investment.
Named world's youngest self‑made billionaire
Forbes and other outlets reported Zuckerberg became the world's youngest self‑made billionaire at age 23; estimated net worth reported ~USD 1.5 billion.
Winklevoss/ConnectU settlement
Settlement reached with ConnectU/Winklevosses — Facebook agreed to transfer ~1.2 million shares plus $20 million in cash (June 25, 2008 reported date).
Donates $100 million to Newark public schools
Announced a $100M donation to support Newark, NJ public schools (Sept/Dec 2010 reports).
Facebook reaches 500 million users
On July 21, 2010 Zuckerberg announced Facebook had reached 500 million users worldwide.
Film 'The Social Network' released
Aaron Sorkin / David Fincher film dramatizing Facebook's founding premiered (Oct 2010); it won multiple Academy Awards.
Acquires Instagram for USD 1 billion
Facebook announced agreement to buy Instagram (deal closed April 2012) for about $1 billion in cash and stock.
Facebook IPO (goes public)
Facebook held its initial public offering, raised about $16 billion and had a peak market cap near $104 billion; Zuckerberg retained majority voting control.
Marries Priscilla Chan
Zuckerberg married longtime partner Priscilla Chan in Palo Alto the day after the Facebook IPO (May 19, 2012).
Launches Internet.org initiative
Announced Internet.org (Aug 2013) to expand internet access to unconnected regions; later renamed Free Basics in some markets.
TechCrunch Disrupt remarks – 5 billion people goal
At TechCrunch Disrupt (Sept 2013) stated aim to connect the ~5 billion people not yet on the internet and explained Internet.org ambition.
Purchases Kauaʻi land (Hawaii)
Purchased approximately 700 acres (later reports up to ~1,400 acres across holdings) on Kauaʻi, Hawaii (reported 2014); later legal disputes over quiet title filings were filed/dropped in 2017.
Acquires WhatsApp for about USD 19 billion
Facebook closed acquisition of messaging app WhatsApp in February 2014 for roughly $19 billion (cash & stock deal).
Founds Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)
With wife Priscilla Chan launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2015) and pledged to give the majority of their Facebook shares (pledged 99% over lifetime) to philanthropy.
Birth of first child, Maxima 'Max' Chan Zuckerberg
First daughter Maxima born in December 2015; birth influenced philanthropic commitments announced publicly.
Co‑founds Breakthrough Starshot (board member)
Joined Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking as a co‑founder and board member of Breakthrough Starshot (announced 2016) to develop light sail spacecraft.
Receives honorary degree from Harvard
Delivered Harvard commencement speech and received an honorary degree on Harvard's 366th commencement (May 25, 2017).
Birth of second daughter, August Chan Zuckerberg
Second daughter, named August, born in August 2017.
Cambridge Analytica revelations and congressional scrutiny
Revelation that Cambridge Analytica harvested personal data for tens of millions of users led to public backlash; Zuckerberg later testified before U.S. Congress.
Testifies before US Senate (Cambridge Analytica)
Zuckerberg testified before the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee on Facebook's data use (April 10–11, 2018).
Announces Libra cryptocurrency initiative
Announced Facebook's (later Meta's) planned cryptocurrency Libra (renamed Diem later); project faced regulatory pushback and was wound down/sold later.
Donates to election security and COVID relief
During 2020 Zuckerberg and CZI donated to election offices (~$400M reported donation to election offices) and COVID‑19 relief efforts (including $25M to therapeutics accelerator).
Integrates Instagram and Messenger chat systems
Facebook integrated chat between Instagram and Messenger on iOS and Android (Aug 14, 2020) to enable cross‑communication.
Major metaverse investment & losses reported
Meta invested heavily in Reality Labs / metaverse R&D; by Oct 2022 reported multibillion-dollar losses (reports mention ~$13.7B cumulative as of Oct 2022).
Rebrands Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms
Announced corporate rebrand from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms (Oct 2021) to emphasize focus on the metaverse and VR/AR.
Meta lays off 11,000 employees
Meta announced layoffs of about 11,000 employees in November 2022 amid slowing growth and restructuring.
Announces pivot from metaverse to generative AI focus
Public statements in Feb 2023 indicated Meta shifting emphasis from broad metaverse buildup to generative AI tools and products.
Birth of third daughter, Aurelia
Biography and other sources report a third daughter, Aurelia, born in March 2023.
Continued layoffs and industry downturn
Meta announced further workforce reductions in March 2023 as part of broader tech sector restructuring.
Testimony at Senate Judiciary Committee (child safety)
Testified in January 2024 about child safety on social media and apologized to families affected by online harm.
Internal disclosures re: Instagram teen safety (legal filings)
Court documents allege Zuckerberg personally rejected product proposals intended to improve teen mental health and safety on Instagram (disclosed in ongoing litigation).
Reported political actions and donations (2024)
Reports indicate Meta donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund (Dec 2024) and Zuckerberg congratulated Trump after the 2024 election; signaled policy shifts in 2024–2025.
Meta announces big AI investment; ends independent fact‑checking
Zuckerberg announced a 2025 strategic shift including large AI investments (reported $60B for year by some sources) and ending independent fact‑checking programs in favor of community systems.
Ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny
Continued lawsuits and regulatory actions (antitrust, privacy, content moderation) naming Meta and Zuckerberg; major cases ongoing into mid‑2020s.
Estimated net worth reported by Forbes
Forbes reported Zuckerberg's estimated net worth at US$221.2 billion (May 2025), ranking him among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
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