Mark Zuckerberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Zuckerberg
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Zuckerberg in 2020
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Mark Elliot Zuckerberg
May 14, 1984 White Plains, New York, U.S.
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| Other names | Zuck |
| Education | Harvard University (dropped out) |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
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Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (born May 14, 1984) is an American businessman and computer programmer. He is best known for co-founding Facebook, a popular social media service. He is also the chairman and CEO of Meta Platforms, which is Facebook's parent company.
Mark Zuckerberg was born in White Plains, New York. He started Facebook in February 2004 while studying at Harvard College. He worked with his roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Facebook became a public company in May 2012. By 2008, at age 23, he became the youngest self-made billionaire. He is still one of the richest people in the world.
Zuckerberg has used his wealth to support many causes. He helped create the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a charity organization. A movie about his early career and the start of Facebook, called The Social Network, came out in 2010.
Early Life and Education
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984, in White Plains, New York. His mother, Karen, was a psychiatrist, and his father, Edward, was a dentist. He grew up in Dobbs Ferry, New York, with his three sisters, Arielle, Randi, and Donna.
Mark first went to Ardsley High School. Later, he transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy. He was even the captain of the fencing team there.
Learning to Code
Early Programming Skills
Mark Zuckerberg started learning computer programming when he was a child. Around age eleven, he created a program called "ZuckNet." This program allowed computers in his family's home and his father's dental office to talk to each other.
In high school, he built a music player called the Synapse Media Player. This device used machine learning to learn what music a user liked. People were impressed by his skills. One magazine said, "some kids played computer games. Mark created them." He even took a college computer course while still in high school.
College Projects
When Mark started at Harvard College in 2002, he was already known as a very talented programmer. He studied psychology and computer science. In his second year, he created a program called CourseMatch. It helped students choose classes based on what others were taking and form study groups.
Later, he made another program called Facemash. This program let students vote on who was "hotter" from a choice of photos. The site became very popular quickly. However, the college shut it down because it used too much internet power. Also, many students were upset that their photos were used without permission. Mark apologized for this.
Building Facebook
In January 2004, Mark Zuckerberg started writing code for a new website. On February 4, 2004, he launched "Thefacebook" with his roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. The idea for Facebook might have come from his old prep school, Phillips Exeter Academy. They had a student directory called "The Photo Address Book," which students called "The Facebook."
Soon after Thefacebook launched, some Harvard students, Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra, said Zuckerberg used their ideas. They claimed he misled them while they were trying to build their own social network. This led to a lawsuit, which was later settled.
Facebook started as a "Harvard thing." But Zuckerberg wanted to share it with more students. He and Dustin Moskovitz expanded it to other universities like Columbia University and Stanford University.
Mark decided to leave Harvard during his second year to work on Facebook full-time. He and the other co-founders moved to Palo Alto, California. There, they rented a small house that became their first office. They met Peter Thiel, who invested in their company.
Zuckerberg believed in making information open to everyone. He turned down offers from big companies to buy Facebook. He wanted to keep building the platform his way. By July 2010, Facebook had reached 500 million users. He explained that Facebook made enough money and focused on growing and connecting people.
Mark Zuckerberg is known for his "hacker" mindset. He believes it's okay to "break things" to make them better. Facebook often holds "hackathons" where employees work together to create new projects quickly. This spirit is a big part of Facebook's culture.
In 2007, he was recognized as one of the top innovators under 35. In 2010, Vanity Fair named him one of the most influential people in the Information Age.
In October 2012, Zuckerberg met with the Russian Prime Minister to discuss social media in Russia. In 2013, his Facebook profile was hacked by a web developer.
At a conference in September 2013, Zuckerberg talked about connecting the 5 billion people who were not yet online. This goal is part of the Internet.org project. Through this project, Facebook and other tech companies work to bring internet access to more people, especially in developing countries.
In December 2014, Zuckerberg met with Chinese politician Lu Wei at Facebook's headquarters. Even though Facebook is not available in China, Zuckerberg is well-regarded there. He also spoke in Mandarin Chinese at a university in Beijing.
Mark Zuckerberg takes a very small salary as CEO of Facebook. In 2016, he was named one of the "Top 10 Business Visionaries." In May 2017, he received an honorary degree from Harvard University.
In 2019, Zuckerberg planned to make messages on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp more private with end-to-end encrypted systems. By August 2020, Instagram and Messenger chat systems were combined, allowing users to communicate across both apps.
Other Projects
In 2004, Zuckerberg and his friends launched Wirehog. This was a file-sharing service that came before Facebook's applications.
In 2013, Zuckerberg started Internet.org. This project aims to provide internet access to people who don't have it. While it faced some challenges, Zuckerberg continued to work on connecting more people globally.
Zuckerberg is also involved with Breakthrough Starshot. This project, which he co-founded in 2016 with Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking, is developing spacecraft that use solar sails.
Giving Back to the Community
Zuckerberg founded the Startup:Education foundation. In September 2010, he donated $100 million to public schools in Newark, New Jersey.
In 2010, Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett signed The Giving Pledge. This means they promised to donate at least half of their wealth to charity over time. In December 2012, Mark and his wife, Priscilla Chan, said they would give most of their wealth to help "advance human potential and promote equality."
In December 2013, Zuckerberg donated 18 million Facebook shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. This donation was worth about $990 million at the time. It was the largest charitable gift recorded that year.
In October 2014, Mark and Priscilla donated $25 million to help fight the Ebola virus disease. In February 2015, they gave $75 million to the San Francisco General Hospital. This was the largest individual donation to a U.S. public hospital. The hospital was renamed The Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center in their honor.
On December 1, 2015, the couple promised to give away 99% of their Facebook shares to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). These funds would be given over their lifetimes. The CZI works on many projects, including science research and education.
In 2016, CZI gave $600 million to create the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub. This is a research center in San Francisco that helps scientists work together. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuckerberg announced grants to support local journalism and bought advertisements in local newspapers.
Public Involvement
Mark Zuckerberg has been involved in public discussions and initiatives. In February 2013, he hosted a fundraising event for then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He was interested in education reform. Later that year, he hosted a fundraiser for Newark mayor Cory Booker.
On April 11, 2013, Zuckerberg launched a group called FWD.us. This group works on issues like immigration reform and improving education. It aims to help more technological breakthroughs happen.
In June 2013, Zuckerberg joined Facebook employees in the annual San Francisco Pride celebration. Facebook first participated in this event in 2011. The company's involvement grew, showing support for the LGBTQ+ community.
When asked about government surveillance in September 2013, Zuckerberg said the U.S. government "blew it." He felt the government did not do enough to protect citizens' freedoms.
In December 2015, Zuckerberg posted a message on Facebook supporting Muslims. He said that as a Jewish person, his parents taught him to stand up against attacks on any community.
In February 2016, Zuckerberg sent a memo to employees about "Black Lives Matter." He told them it was disrespectful to cross out "Black Lives Matter" phrases on company walls. He explained that "Black Lives Matter" means the black community also deserves justice.
In January 2017, Zuckerberg criticized government policies that limited immigrants and refugees from some countries. He has also supported initiatives to change tax laws in California.
In August 2024, Zuckerberg stated he regretted not doing more to resist pressure from the Biden administration to censor content related to COVID-19. He also noted he no longer intends to donate towards election infrastructure. By 2024, Zuckerberg was discouraging employee activism at Facebook. According to The New York Times, he has privately described his politics as leaning towards libertarianism or classical liberalism.
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In September 2024, Donald Trump's book Save America mentioned Zuckerberg's visits to the White House. Two months later, they dined at the Mar-a-Lago resort. Zuckerberg aimed to improve his and Meta's relationship with Trump after Trump won the election. Around the same time, Meta reportedly donated $1 million to a Trump-related fund. In January 2025, Zuckerberg said: "We now have a U.S. administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizes American technology winning and that will defend our values and interests abroad." In March 2025, Zuckerberg tried to use his relationship with the Trump administration to get a good outcome in an antitrust case where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was asking for $30 billion.
Personal Life
Family Life
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Mark Zuckerberg met Priscilla Chan at a party during his second year at Harvard College. They started dating in 2003. In September 2010, Priscilla, who was a medical student, moved into his house. They got married on May 19, 2012, at his home. This event also celebrated her graduation from medical school.
In July 2015, Zuckerberg shared that they were expecting a baby girl. He also mentioned that Priscilla had experienced miscarriages before. Their first daughter was born in December 2015. Her Chinese name is Chen Mingyu. Their second daughter was born in August 2017. In March 2023, Zuckerberg and his wife welcomed their third daughter. The couple also have a Puli dog named Beast, who is very popular on Facebook.
Recognition and Public Image
Time magazine has named Zuckerberg one of the most influential people in the world many times. He was named Time Person of the Year in 2010. In December 2016, he was ranked tenth on the Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People. In October 2024, he became the second richest person in the world. As of December 2024, his net worth was estimated at $219 billion, making him the fourth richest person globally.
Zuckerberg changed his style in 2024. He used to wear the same gray shirt and jeans in public. Now, he wears gold chains and trendier clothes. He has denied hiring a stylist for this change.
Beliefs and Hobbies
Mark Zuckerberg was raised in a Reform Jewish home. He later identified as an atheist. However, in 2016, he said he now believes religion is very important. In 2017, he and his wife started a tour to visit every state in the U.S. They wanted to learn more about the people who use Facebook.
In 2022, Zuckerberg started training in mixed martial arts (MMA) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). He loves these sports. In May 2023, he competed in a BJJ tournament and won both a silver and a gold medal. In July 2023, he was promoted to blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Four months later, he announced he was preparing for his MMA debut. However, he had an injury that required surgery, which delayed his plans.
See also
In Spanish: Mark Zuckerberg para niños
- Mark Zuckerberg book club
