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 in 2004, revolutionizing social networking and connecting billions globally. Zuckerberg has led Meta through significant acquisitions like Instagram and WhatsApp, expanding its reach and influence. He is also known for his philanthropic endeavors through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, focusing on health, education, and scientific research. Despite facing scrutiny regarding data privacy and the impact of social media, Zuckerberg remains a prominent figure in the technology industry.
In 1934, the Communications Act was established. In 2020, it was used to issue subpoenas to tech CEOs including Zuckerberg.
On May 14, 1984, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was born. He is an American businessman and co-founder of Facebook (now Meta Platforms).
In 1984, Steven Levy wrote the book Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, which was used to describe Zuckerberg as a hacker in 2010.
In 2002, Mark Zuckerberg began classes at Harvard, already having a reputation as a programming prodigy. He studied psychology and computer science.
In 2002, Mark Zuckerberg graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy.
In 2002, Mark Zuckerberg registered to vote in Westchester County, New York.
On April 28, 2003, Paul Ceglia claimed that he and Zuckerberg signed a contract in which an initial fee of $1,000 entitled Ceglia to 50% of the website's revenue, as well as an additional 1% interest in the business per day after January 1, 2004, until website completion.
In 2003, Zuckerberg met Priscilla Chan at a frat party.
On January 1, 2004, Zuckerberg registered the domain name thefacebook.com.
In January 2004, Mark Zuckerberg began writing code for what would become Facebook.
On February 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook" (originally located at thefacebook.com) in partnership with his roommates.
A month after Zuckerberg launched Facebook, in February 2004, Wayne Chang launched i2hub, another campus-only service, focusing on peer-to-peer file sharing.
In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, along with his roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, launched Facebook at Harvard College.
In August 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Adam D'Angelo, and Sean Parker launched Wirehog, a competing peer-to-peer file sharing service.
In 2004, Harvard students Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra accused Mark Zuckerberg of intentionally making them believe he would help them build a social network called HarvardConnection.com (later called ConnectU). They filed a lawsuit.
In 2004, Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard and moved to Palo Alto, California with Moskovitz and other co-founders. They met Peter Thiel who invested in the company and established their first office.
In 2005, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin sued Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, alleging that Zuckerberg illegally spent Saverin's money on personal expenses. The lawsuit was settled out of court; Saverin's co-founder title was affirmed, and Saverin agreed to stop talking to the press.
On March 28, 2007, the lawsuit filed by Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra against Mark Zuckerberg was dismissed on a technicality.
In November 2007, confidential court documents, including Zuckerberg's Social Security number and home address, were posted on the website of 02138 magazine.
In 2007, Facebook Platform applications was launched.
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.
In a 2007 interview, Mark Zuckerberg explained his reasoning for not selling Facebook to major corporations, stating that creating an open information flow for people was more important than the amount of money.
On June 25, 2008, the case with the Winklevoss brothers settled, and Facebook agreed to transfer over 1.2 million common shares and pay $20 million in cash.
In November 2008, Mark Zuckerberg cast his first ballot, after registering to vote in 2002.
In 2008, Mark Zuckerberg became the world's youngest self-made billionaire at the age of 23.
Time named Zuckerberg one of the most influential people in the world in 2008.
In April 2009, Mark Zuckerberg sought the advice of former Netscape CFO Peter Currie regarding financing strategies for Facebook.
In 2009, Mark Zuckerberg ranked number 23 on the Vanity Fair 100 list.
In June 2010, Pakistani Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Azhar Sidiqque launched a criminal investigation into Zuckerberg and Facebook co-founders Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes after a "Draw Muhammad" contest was hosted on Facebook. Sidiqque requested that Interpol arrest Zuckerberg and the others for blasphemy.
In June 2010, Paul Ceglia filed suit against Zuckerberg, claiming 84 percent ownership of Facebook and seeking monetary damages. Facebook dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous.
On July 21, 2010, Mark Zuckerberg reported that Facebook had reached the 500-million-user mark.
In September 2010, Priscilla Chan moved into Zuckerberg's rented house in Palo Alto, California.
In September 2010, Zuckerberg donated $100 million to Newark Public Schools. Critics noted the timing was close to the release of The Social Network, which painted a negative portrait of Zuckerberg.
In September 2010, Zuckerberg pledged US$100 million to Newark Public Schools with the support of Governor Chris Christie.
On October 1, 2010, The Social Network, a movie based on Zuckerberg and the founding years of Facebook, was released, starring Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg.
On October 3, 2010, Zuckerberg voiced himself on an episode of The Simpsons titled "Loan-a Lisa".
On October 9, 2010, Saturday Night Live lampooned Zuckerberg and Facebook. Andy Samberg portrayed Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg was reported to have been amused.
On October 30, 2010, Stephen Colbert awarded a "Medal of Fear" to Zuckerberg at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, "because he values his privacy much more than he values yours".
In 2010, "The Social Network", a film depicting Zuckerberg's early career, legal troubles, and initial success with Facebook, was released and won multiple Academy Awards.
In 2010, Steven Levy, who wrote the 1984 book Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, wrote that Zuckerberg "clearly thinks of himself as a hacker". Zuckerberg said that "it's OK to break things" "to make them better".
In 2010, Vanity Fair magazine named Mark Zuckerberg number 1 on its list of the Top 100 "most influential people of the Information Age".
In 2010, Zuckerberg was named the Time Person of the Year, coinciding with Facebook reaching over half a billion users.
In 2010, Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and investor Warren Buffett signed The Giving Pledge, committing to donate at least half of their wealth to charity.
In January 2011, Zuckerberg made a surprise guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, which was hosted by Jesse Eisenberg. It was the first time they had met.
On January 16, 2011, The Social Network won the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture. Producer Scott Rudin thanked Facebook and Zuckerberg for allowing them to use his life and work as a metaphor.
In 2011, David Kirkpatrick, former technology editor at Fortune magazine and author of The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World, stated that "the film is only 40% true" and that the "overall impression is false".
In 2011, Facebook first participated in the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration.
In a 2011 interview with PBS shortly after the death of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg said that Jobs had advised him on how to create a management team at Facebook that was "focused on building as high quality and good things as you are".
Time named Zuckerberg one of the most influential people in the world in 2011.
In May 2012, Mark Zuckerberg took Facebook public with majority shares.
On May 19, 2012, Zuckerberg married Priscilla Chan in the grounds of his mansion, also celebrating her medical school graduation.
On October 26, 2012, federal authorities arrested Paul Ceglia, charging him with mail and wire fraud and of "tampering with, destroying and fabricating evidence in a scheme to defraud the Facebook founder of billions of dollars".
In December 2012, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan said they would give the majority of their wealth to "advancing human potential and promoting equality" in the spirit of The Giving Pledge.
In December 2012, Zuckerberg donated 18 million shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which supports education.
In 2012, Mark Zuckerberg voted in the general elections.
In February 2013, Zuckerberg hosted a fundraising event for then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, with a focus on education reform.
On April 6, 2013, Facebook's head of consumer marketing, Rebecca Van Dyck, said that 85 million American Facebook users were exposed to the first day of the Home promotional campaign.
On April 11, 2013, Zuckerberg initiated the FWD.us lobbying group, aimed at immigration reform and improving education but also criticized for supporting oil and gas development.
In June 2013, Zuckerberg and Facebook employees participated in the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration.
On June 20, 2013, Zuckerberg engaged with Facebook users, commenting on the FWD.us organization's goals regarding immigration.
On August 19, 2013, The Washington Post reported that Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook profile was hacked by an unemployed web developer.
In September 2013, Zuckerberg commented on the PRISM scandal at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, stating that the U.S. government "blew it".
In September 2013, at the TechCrunch conference, Zuckerberg raised the goal of expanding Internet coverage into developing countries.
In December 2013, Zuckerberg announced a donation of 18 million Facebook shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, totaling $990 million in value. This was the largest charitable gift on public record for that year.
In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg appeared in the climax of the documentary film Terms and Conditions May Apply.
In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg launched Internet.org, an initiative to provide Internet access to the five billion people without it at the time of the launch.
In March 2014, Mark Zuckerberg was the keynote speaker at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, focusing on the future of mobile technology.
In October 2014, Zuckerberg and his wife donated $25 million to combat the Ebola virus disease, specifically the West African Ebola virus epidemic.
On October 23, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg participated in a Q&A session at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, conversing in Mandarin Chinese.
On December 8, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg, along with other American technology figures, hosted visiting Chinese politician Lu Wei at Facebook's headquarters.
On December 11, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg fielded questions during a live Q&A session at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, addressing concerns about Facebook being a waste of time.
In 2014, Zuckerberg had the support yacht Wingman built by Damen Yachting.
In 2014, Zuckerberg purchased 700 acres of land on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.
In February 2015, the couple endowed the foundation of the San Francisco General Hospital with $75 million, which was the biggest individual donation to a U.S. public hospital. The hospital was renamed as The Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
In July 2015, Zuckerberg announced that he and Priscilla Chan were expecting a baby girl and disclosed previous miscarriages.
The November 2015 Paris attacks prompted Zuckerberg to make a statement of support for Muslims on December 9, 2015.
On December 1, 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife pledged to transfer 99% of their Facebook shares, then valued at $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).
On December 9, 2015, Zuckerberg posted a statement on his Facebook wall expressing support for Muslims in response to the aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks and the 2015 San Bernardino attack.
In December 2015, Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's first daughter was born.
In 2015 a shooting took place at Mother Emanuel.
On February 24, 2016, Zuckerberg sent a company-wide memo rebuking employees who overwrote "Black Lives Matter" phrases on company walls, calling the practice "malicious".
In June 2016, Business Insider named Mark Zuckerberg one of the "Top 10 Business Visionaries Creating Value for the World" due to his and his wife's pledge to give away 99% of their wealth.
In December 2016, Zuckerberg was ranked tenth on the Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People.
In 2016, CZI provided $600 million to establish the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, a research center designed to encourage collaboration among scientists. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuckerberg also announced $25 million in grants to support local journalism and $75 million in advertisement purchases in local newspapers via Facebook, Inc.
In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg stated that, after questioning religion, he now believes it is very important.
In 2016, Zuckerberg co-founded the solar sail spacecraft development project Breakthrough Starshot with Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking.
In January 2017, Zuckerberg criticized Donald Trump's executive order limiting immigration and refugees.
In January 2017, Zuckerberg filed eight lawsuits against hundreds of native Hawaiians to claim small tracts of land that they owned within his acreage. He later dropped the lawsuits.
On May 25, 2017, Mark Zuckerberg received an honorary degree from Harvard after giving a commencement speech at the university's 366th commencement day.
In August 2017, Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's second daughter was born.
In 2017, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife began a tour of America to visit every state and learn more about the users of the social network. He met with farmers and business owners and spoke at Mother Emanuel.
In 2017, Zuckerberg called for action to stop global warming in a commencement speech at Harvard University.
In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg testified before the United States Senate Committee regarding the usage of personal data by Facebook in relation to the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
As of 2019, Zuckerberg's Puli dog, Beast, had over two million followers on Facebook.
Time named Zuckerberg one of the most influential people in the world in 2019.
On October 1, 2020, the US Senate Commerce Committee unanimously voted to issue subpoenas to the CEOs of three top tech firms, including Zuckerberg, to testify about the legal immunity the law affords tech platforms.
In 2020, Zuckerberg funded a state-level ballot initiative for the 2020 general election that would raise taxes by altering California's Proposition 13 to require the tax assessment of commercial and industrial properties in the state at market rate.
In 2020, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a measure condemning the renaming of San Francisco General Hospital as The Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, citing concerns about Facebook's role in endangering public health and spreading misinformation.
On January 6, 2021, the attack on the US Capitol Building was mentioned during Zuckerberg's testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 25, 2021, regarding Facebook's role in the spread of misinformation.
On March 25, 2021, Zuckerberg testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee regarding Facebook's role in the spread of misinformation and hate speech on the platform.
In 2022, Mark Zuckerberg began training in both mixed martial arts (MMA) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).
In March 2023, Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan welcomed their third daughter.
On May 6, 2023, Mark Zuckerberg competed in a BJJ tournament and won both a silver and gold medal in gi and no gi, competing at white belt.
In July 2023, Mark Zuckerberg was promoted to blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by Dave Camarillo.
In 2023, Zuckerberg was ranked eighth on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans with a personal wealth of $106 billion.
In January 2024, Zuckerberg, along with other tech CEOs, were questioned at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child safety and social media platforms. During the hearing, he apologized to the families of children who were victims of online abuse and harm.
In August 2024, Zuckerberg stated in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee that he regretted not doing more to resist pressure from the Biden administration to censor content related to COVID-19.
In September 2024, Donald Trump mentioned Zuckerberg in his book 'Save America', threatening legal action.
In October 2024, Zuckerberg became the second richest person in the world.
As of December 2024, Zuckerberg's net worth was estimated at $219 billion by Forbes, making him the fourth richest person in the world.
In 2024, Zuckerberg commissioned Daniel Arsham to build a 7-foot-tall sculpture of his wife, Priscilla Chan.
In 2024, Zuckerberg purchased the mega-yacht Launchpad for about $300 million.
In 2024, Zuckerberg shifted his style from wearing the same gray shirt and jeans to gold chains and trendier streetwear.
In late 2024, the yacht Launchpad sailed roughly 4,800 miles to French Polynesia and waited in Tahiti for weeks without Mark Zuckerberg boarding.
In January 2025, Zuckerberg expressed support for the Trump administration and its stance on American technology companies.
In March 2025, Zuckerberg attempted to leverage his relationship with the Trump administration for a favorable settlement in an antitrust case with the FTC.
According to Forbes, in May 2025, Mark Zuckerberg's estimated net worth stood at US$221.2 billion, making him the second-richest individual in the world.
In 2025, Sustainability Times reported a 5,280-mile voyage to Norway’s fjords using a two-yacht fleet for heliskiing. The operation used Wingman's helipad to avoid helicopter landings on Norwegian soil. Also in late 2024 and early 2025, Launchpad sailed 4,800 miles to French Polynesia but Zuckerberg did not board the yacht.
In 2025, it was reported that Launchpad burned over 528,000 gallons of diesel fuel in nine months, emitting more than 5,300 tons of carbon dioxide, while touring destinations from the South Pacific to Europe before docking in France for servicing.
In early 2025, it was reported that Zuckerberg's two-vessel fleet, including the Launchpad and Wingman, was operating together in the Arctic, leading to protests over emissions in Longyearbyen.
Time named Zuckerberg one of the most influential people in the world in 2025.
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