Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Mark Zuckerberg
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Mark Zuckerberg made an impact.
Mark Zuckerberg is an American businessman best known as the co-founder, chairman, CEO, and controlling shareholder of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). He launched Facebook, a social media platform that grew into a global phenomenon. Zuckerberg's leadership has been marked by both success and controversy, facing lawsuits related to the website's creation, ownership, and user privacy concerns. He remains a prominent figure in the technology industry.
2002: Zuckerberg at Harvard
In 2002, Mark Zuckerberg began classes at Harvard, already known as a "programming prodigy." He wrote CourseMatch and Facemash programs.
January 2004: Zuckerberg begins writing code for Facebook
In January 2004, Mark Zuckerberg began writing code for a new website that would eventually become Facebook.
February 4, 2004: Thefacebook Launch
On February 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook", originally located at thefacebook.com, in partnership with his roommates.
February 2004: Facebook Launched
In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, along with roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, launched Facebook while at Harvard College.
August 2004: Wirehog Launch
In August 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, along with Andrew McCollum, Adam D'Angelo, and Sean Parker, launched Wirehog, a competing peer-to-peer file sharing service.
2004: Move to Palo Alto
In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to focus on Facebook, moved to Palo Alto with co-founders, met Peter Thiel, and secured their first office.
2007: Facebook Platform Applications Launched
In 2007, Facebook Platform applications were launched. Wirehog, was a precursor to them.
2007: Zuckerberg on Creating Open Information Flow
In 2007, Mark Zuckerberg explained that the most important thing for him and his colleagues was to create an open information flow for people.
2007: MIT Technology Review TR35 List
In 2007, Mark Zuckerberg was added to MIT Technology Review's TR35 list as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35.
2008: Youngest Self-Made Billionaire
In 2008, at the age of 23, Mark Zuckerberg became the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
April 2009: Zuckerberg Seeks Advice from Peter Currie
In April 2009, Mark Zuckerberg sought the advice of former Netscape CFO Peter Currie regarding financing strategies for Facebook.
2009: Vanity Fair 100 List Ranking
In 2009, Mark Zuckerberg ranked number 23 on the Vanity Fair 100 list.
July 21, 2010: Facebook Reaches 500 Million Users
On July 21, 2010, Mark Zuckerberg reported that Facebook had reached the 500-million-user mark.
September 2010: $100 Million Donation to Newark Public Schools
In September 2010, Mark Zuckerberg donated $100 million to Newark Public Schools, the public school system of Newark, New Jersey.
September 2010: Booker Obtains US$100 Million Pledge from Zuckerberg
In September 2010, with the support of Governor Chris Christie, Booker obtained a US$100 million pledge from Zuckerberg to Newark Public Schools.
2010: Signing The Giving Pledge
In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and investor Warren Buffett signed The Giving Pledge, in which they said they would donate to charity at least half of their wealth over the course of time.
2010: Zuckerberg on Hacking
In 2010, Steven Levy wrote that Zuckerberg "clearly thinks of himself as a hacker" and Zuckerberg stated that "it's OK to break things" to make them better.
2010: Vanity Fair's Top 100 List
Vanity Fair magazine named Mark Zuckerberg number 1 on its 2010 list of the Top 100 "most influential people of the Information Age".
2011: Advice from Steve Jobs
In a 2011 interview with PBS shortly after Steve Jobs' death, Mark Zuckerberg said that Jobs had advised him on creating a management team focused on building high-quality things at Facebook.
May 2012: Facebook Goes Public
In May 2012, Mark Zuckerberg took Facebook public, retaining majority shares.
December 2012: Pledge to Donate Majority of Wealth
In December 2012, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan said that over the course of their lives they would give the majority of their wealth to "advancing human potential and promoting equality" in the spirit of The Giving Pledge.
December 2012: Donated 18 Million Shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation
In December 2012, Zuckerberg donated 18 million shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to support education.
February 2013: Hosted Fundraising Event for Chris Christie
In February 2013, Zuckerberg hosted his first fundraising event for then New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to support education reform.
April 6, 2013: Home Promotional Campaign Exposure
On April 6, 2013, Rebecca Van Dyck, Facebook's head of consumer marketing, said that 85 million American Facebook users were exposed to the first day of the Home promotional campaign.
April 11, 2013: Launched FWD.us Lobbying Group
On April 11, 2013, Zuckerberg launched FWD.us, a lobbying group focused on immigration reform and education, but it faced criticism for supporting oil and gas development initiatives.
June 20, 2013: Engaged with Facebook Users on FWD.us Video
On June 20, 2013, Zuckerberg responded to claims about FWD.us on his Facebook profile, emphasizing the need for fair treatment of undocumented immigrants.
September 2013: Commented on PRISM Scandal at TechCrunch Disrupt
In September 2013, at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Zuckerberg commented on the mid-2013 PRISM scandal, stating that the U.S. government "blew it" regarding the protection of citizens' freedoms and the economy.
September 2013: Internet Coverage Expansion Goal
In September 2013, at the TechCrunch conference, Mark Zuckerberg raised the goal that he was working towards expanding Internet coverage into developing countries.
December 2013: Donation to Silicon Valley Community Foundation
In December 2013, Mark Zuckerberg announced a donation of 18 million Facebook shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, totaling $990 million in value. This was recognized as the largest charitable gift on public record for that year.
2013: Launch of Internet.org
In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg launched Internet.org, an initiative to provide Internet access to the five billion people without it.
October 2014: $25 Million Donation to Combat Ebola
In October 2014, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife donated $25 million to combat the Ebola virus disease, specifically the West African Ebola virus epidemic.
October 23, 2014: Q&A Session at Tsinghua University
On October 23, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg participated in a Q&A session at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, speaking in Mandarin Chinese.
December 11, 2014: Live Q&A Session at Facebook Headquarters
On December 11, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg fielded questions during a live Q&A session at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, addressing the value of Facebook.
February 2015: Endowment to San Francisco General Hospital
In February 2015, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife endowed the foundation of the San Francisco General Hospital with $75 million, resulting in the hospital renaming itself as The Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
December 1, 2015: Pledge to Transfer Facebook Shares to CZI
On December 1, 2015, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife pledged to transfer 99% of their Facebook shares, then valued at $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).
December 9, 2015: Expressed Support for Muslims on Facebook
On December 9, 2015, Zuckerberg posted a statement on his Facebook wall expressing support for Muslims following the November 2015 Paris attacks and the 2015 San Bernardino attack, emphasizing Facebook's inclusivity.
February 24, 2016: Rebuked Employees for Overwriting "Black Lives Matter" Phrases
On February 24, 2016, Zuckerberg sent an internal memo rebuking Facebook employees for crossing out "Black Lives Matter" phrases and replacing them with "All Lives Matter", considering it disrespectful and malicious.
June 2016: Top 10 Business Visionaries
In June 2016, Business Insider named Mark Zuckerberg one of the "Top 10 Business Visionaries Creating Value for the World" and he pledged to give away 99% of their wealth.
2016: Breakthrough Starshot Board Member
In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg became a board member of the solar sail spacecraft development project Breakthrough Starshot, which he co-founded with Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking.
2016: CZI Gave $600 Million to Create Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
In 2016, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) donated $600 million to establish the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, a tax-exempt charity focused on collaborative research in San Francisco. Unlike other foundations, Biohub retained the right to commercialize its funded research, while encouraging open-source discoveries. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuckerberg announced $25 million in grants for local journalism and $75 million in Facebook advertisement purchases in local newspapers.
January 2017: Criticized Trump's Executive Order on Immigration
In January 2017, Zuckerberg criticized Donald Trump's executive order limiting immigration and refugees from some countries.
2017: Called for Action to Stop Global Warming in Speech
In 2017, Zuckerberg called for action to stop global warming in a commencement speech at Harvard University. Seven years later, he purchased the mega-yacht Launchpad (formerly Project 1010) for $300 million. That same year, he put the yacht into operation; it emits 40 tons of carbon dioxide per hour.
2020: Funded State-Level Ballot Initiative to Alter California's Proposition 13
In 2020, Zuckerberg funded a state-level ballot initiative to alter California's Proposition 13, aiming to raise taxes by requiring market-rate tax assessments for commercial and industrial properties.
2022: Zuckerberg starts MMA and BJJ training
In 2022, Mark Zuckerberg began training in both mixed martial arts (MMA) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), publicly expressing his enthusiasm for these sports.
May 6, 2023: Zuckerberg wins medals in BJJ tournament
On May 6, 2023, Mark Zuckerberg participated in a BJJ tournament and secured both a silver and a gold medal while competing at the white belt level in both gi and no gi categories.
July 2023: Zuckerberg promoted to blue belt in BJJ
In July 2023, Dave Camarillo promoted Mark Zuckerberg to blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
August 2024: Regretted Not Resisting Pressure to Censor COVID-19 Content
In August 2024, Zuckerberg stated he regretted not doing more to resist pressure from the Biden administration to censor content related to COVID-19. By 2024, Zuckerberg was discouraging employee activism at Facebook, and according to The New York Times, had privately described his politics as leaning towards libertarianism or classical liberalism.
September 2024: Featured in Donald Trump's Book "Save America"
In September 2024, Donald Trump described Zuckerberg's visits to the White House in his book "Save America" and warned against illegal activities. In November, Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and Meta reportedly donated $1 million to a Trump-related fund.
January 2025: Praised the Trump Administration
In January 2025, Zuckerberg praised the Trump administration for prioritizing American technology companies.
March 2025: Attempted to Leverage Relationship for Antitrust Settlement
In March 2025, Zuckerberg attempted to leverage his relationship with the Trump administration to secure a favorable settlement in an antitrust case where the FTC was asking for $30 billion.
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