Craig Newmark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Craig Newmark
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Newmark in 2023
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| Born |
Craig Alexander Newmark
December 6, 1952 Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Education | Case Western Reserve University (BS, MS) |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Organization | Craig Newmark Philanthropies |
| Known for | Founder of Craigslist |
| Spouse(s) |
Eileen Whelpley
(m. 2012) |
Craig Alexander Newmark, born on December 6, 1952, is an American internet entrepreneur. He is most famous for starting Craigslist, a popular website for classified ads. Before creating Craigslist, Newmark worked as a computer programmer for big companies like IBM and Bank of America. He was the chief executive officer of Craigslist until 2000. In 2014, he started Craig Newmark Philanthropies to support many good causes.
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Early Life and School
Craig Newmark was born in 1952 in Morristown, New Jersey. His parents were Joyce and Lee Newmark. As a kid, Craig loved science fiction and comic books. He even dreamed of becoming a paleontologist, someone who studies dinosaurs and ancient life.
When Craig was thirteen, his father passed away. His mother then moved him and his younger brother, Jeff, to a different part of Morristown.
As a teenager, Craig went to Morristown High School. There, he became very interested in physics. He was known for wearing glasses with tape and a pocket protector. He once joked that he was "possible nerd patient zero" in high school, meaning he was a very dedicated student. He sang in the school choir, joined the physics club, and was part of the debate team. Craig finished high school in 1971.
In college, Craig began studying computer science. He earned two degrees, a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science, from Case Western Reserve University. He finished these degrees in 1975 and 1977.
Craig Newmark's Career
Before starting Craigslist, Craig Newmark worked as a computer programmer. His first job after college was at IBM, where he worked for 17 years. He lived in different cities like Boca Raton, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during that time. In 1993, he moved to San Francisco for a job at Charles Schwab Corporation. There, a coworker showed him the World Wide Web, which was quite new and didn't have many ads yet.
How Craigslist Started
In 1995, Craig started sending emails to a few friends. These emails listed upcoming events in San Francisco. He wanted to help people connect and build a sense of community. More and more people asked to be added to his email list. As the list grew, so did the types of information shared.
In 1996, Craig launched craigslist.org. This website allowed people to share information and post ads, mostly for free. It began as a simple newsletter about San Francisco events. Craig ran it as a hobby while still working as a software engineer. In 1999, Craigslist became a company.
In 2000, Craig Newmark decided to step down as the chief executive officer. He gave the role to Jim Buckmaster. Since then, Craig has not been involved in the daily running of Craigslist. However, as of 2018, he still helped with customer service, especially dealing with people who tried to trick others or send unwanted messages.
Giving Back: Philanthropy
Craig Newmark has been using his wealth to help others since 2004. He is very interested in supporting journalism and cybersecurity. In 2015, he created Craig Newmark Philanthropies. This organization helps manage his different charitable efforts. For example, in 2016, he gave $50 million to support military families, help people register to vote, and encourage women in technology.
By 2018, Craig's donations added up to $143 million. In December 2022, he announced that he plans to give almost all of his money to charity.
Supporting Veterans
Craig Newmark cares a lot about veterans. He even called himself a "Nerd-in-Residence" while helping the VA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning. He used his computer skills to work on the Blue Button project. This project helps veterans get their electronic health records easily. This makes it faster to process claims and improves their medical care.
In 2022, Craig Newmark Philanthropies gave $2.95 million to The Bob Woodruff Foundation's Got Your 6 Network. By 2022, his organizations had given over $28 million to military and veteran communities. This included groups like Military Veterans in Journalism. In 2023, he donated $1 million to Blue Star Families.
Also in 2023, Craig Newmark Philanthropies gave $10 million to The Bob Woodruff Foundation's Got Your 6 Network. This money will help provide mental health services for veterans and their families. In the same year, Newmark promised another $100 million to groups that help veterans and military families.
Fighting Cyber Threats
Craig Newmark also focuses on cybersecurity, which means protecting computers and information online. In 2017, he donated $500,000 to Wikipedia. This money helped Wikipedia reduce online bullying and damage to the site. It also improved tools for moderators who keep the site safe.
In 2019, he gave $6 million to Consumer Reports. This helped them create a Digital Lab to protect people's online privacy and improve cybersecurity. In 2021, he supported a program to fight ransomware, which is a type of harmful computer attack. He also funded studies on false information and helped establish a center at Harvard University to improve social media.
In 2022, Newmark promised $50 million to the Cyber Civil Defense initiative. By April 2022, about $30 million of this had already been given out. In 2023, Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced it would double its donations for fighting cyber threats, from $50 million to $100 million.
He has also given money to the Global Cyber Alliance, Women in CyberSecurity, and the Girl Scouts for their cybersecurity programs. He is a big supporter of Girls Who Code, an organization that teaches girls computer skills.
Supporting Journalism
Craig Newmark believes that good journalism is very important. Between 2016 and 2020, he donated $170 million to support journalism. This also included efforts to protect journalists from harassment and ensure fair elections. In 2017, he gave $1 million each to ProPublica and the Poynter Institute.
In 2018, he gave $20 million to start The Markup, a non-profit news organization. That same year, he donated $1 million to Mother Jones to help them fight against fake news.
In 2021, Newmark gave $5 million to the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. He also created a $20 million fund at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Because of his support, the school was renamed the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.
He also gave $5 million to the Poynter Institute to create the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership. He also gave $10 million to Columbia University to start a center for journalism ethics and security.
As of 2022, it was estimated that Newmark had given between $180 million and $200 million to journalism and to fight false information. In 2024, Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced a $10 million gift to the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. The goal is to eventually make the school tuition-free for all students.
Other Ways He Helps
In 2015, Craig donated $10,000 to a community garden in Morristown for a special toilet that helps turn waste into compost. It was even named "Craig Newmark Memorial Latrine #2."
In 2020, he donated $10 million to charities that help with hunger issues. By May 2021, he had given a total of $25 million to groups working on food security.
Newmark also supported the Marshall Plan for Moms. This plan asked the government to create policies like paid family leave and training programs for women returning to work.
He has also supported groups like OneVoice, Sunlight Foundation, Voto Latino, and the Wikimedia Foundation. He has given $100,000 to groups that rescue wildlife. Craig Newmark has even said he helps rescue pigeons!
Personal Life
Craig Newmark married Eileen Whelpley in December 2012. They enjoy birding together. He lives in New York City and prefers to use public transportation. He does not own a car and flies on regular commercial flights.
Newmark describes himself as a non-practicing Jewish person. He jokes that his rabbi was the singer Leonard Cohen. He is also a fan of musicians like Tori Amos and Lou Reed, and TV shows like The Simpsons.
Craig Newmark's wealth is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He has said that by making Craigslist mostly free, he gave away a large part of his potential wealth.
Newmark has also been involved in politics. He supported Barack Obama's election campaign in 2008. He praised Obama for using technology to help people get involved in democracy. In the 2020 election, Newmark supported Joe Biden's campaign. He mentioned Biden's commitment to fighting corruption and his support for veterans.
