Zuckerberg attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a prestigious preparatory school in New Hampshire, where he excelled in fencing and literature. He also continued to work on developing new software, such as an early version of the music streaming service Pandora, which he called Synapse. He received offers from AOL and Microsoft to buy his software and hire him, but he declined them.
In 2002, Zuckerberg enrolled at Harvard University, where he studied computer science and psychology. He quickly gained a reputation as a talented programmer on campus, and created several popular applications, such as CourseMatch, which helped students choose their classes based on the preferences of other users, and Facemash, which compared the attractiveness of students based on their photos. Facemash was shut down by the university administration for violating privacy rules.
The Birth of Facebook
In February 2004, Zuckerberg launched a new website called thefacebook.com, which was initially a directory for Harvard students to enter their personal information and photos into a template that he had designed. The idea was to create an online network of trusted connections among people who knew each other in real life. Within two weeks, half of the student body had signed up for the website.
Zuckerberg's roommates, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, helped him add features and make the site available to other campuses across the country. They also recruited Eduardo Saverin as the chief financial officer and business manager. The website soon became popular among college students, who used it to communicate with their friends, share photos and media, join groups and events, and play games.
In the summer of 2004, Zuckerberg and his team moved to Palo Alto, California, where they received seed funding from venture capitalist Peter Thiel. Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to focus on the company full time. He also changed the name of the website to Facebook in 2005. He faced several legal challenges from other parties who claimed that he had stolen their ideas or violated their intellectual property rights. One of them was his former Harvard classmates Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra, who sued him for allegedly copying their concept of a social networking site called ConnectU. The lawsuit was settled in 2008 for $65 million.
The Growth of Facebook
Facebook continued to grow rapidly as it opened up to more users and regions. In 2006, it allowed anyone over 13 years old with a valid email address to join. It also introduced News Feed, a feature that displayed updates from friends and pages on the user's home page. In 2007, it launched Platform, which enabled third-party developers to create applications and games for the site. It also struck a deal with Microsoft, which invested $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook.
In 2008, Facebook surpassed MySpace as the most visited social networking site in the world. It also reached 100 million users that year. In 2009, it introduced Like button, which allowed users to express their approval or interest in posts and pages. It also became profitable for the first time that year.
In 2010, Facebook launched Places, which allowed users to check in at locations and share their whereabouts with friends. It also released Messenger, a standalone app for instant messaging and voice calls. It also faced increasing scrutiny from regulators and activists over its privacy policies and data practices.
In 2011
The Challenges of Facebook
As Facebook grew bigger and more influential, it also faced more challenges and controversies. In 2012, it acquired Instagram, a photo-sharing app, for $1 billion. In 2014, it bought WhatsApp, a messaging service, for $19 billion, and Oculus VR, a virtual reality company, for $2 billion. These acquisitions raised antitrust concerns and scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers around the world.
Facebook also faced criticism for its role in spreading misinformation, hate speech, and political propaganda on its platform. It was accused of failing to prevent foreign interference and manipulation in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and other elections around the world. It was also involved in several data breaches and privacy scandals, such as the Cambridge Analytica case, in which a political consulting firm accessed the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent.
In response to these issues, Zuckerberg testified before the U.S. Congress and other governments several times, and apologized for his company's mistakes. He also pledged to implement various reforms and changes to improve the security, transparency, and accountability of Facebook. He also faced pressure from some of his employees and shareholders to step down or reduce his power over the company.
The Transformation of Facebook
In 2021, Zuckerberg announced that he would change the name of his company from Facebook to Meta Platforms, or Meta for short. He said that this was part of his vision to create a "metaverse", a virtual environment where people can interact with each other and digital content using immersive technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. He said that Meta would focus on building the infrastructure and tools for the metaverse, while Facebook would remain as one of its apps.
Zuckerberg also said that he wanted to make Meta a more diverse and inclusive company, and to address the social and environmental challenges of the digital age. He said that he would invest $10 billion in 2022 to support the development of the metaverse, and that he would donate at least half of his wealth to philanthropic causes during his lifetime or upon his death.
The Philanthropy of Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg is also known for his philanthropic efforts, which he carries out through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), a limited liability company that he co-founded and co-leads with his wife, Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician and educator. CZI was launched in 2015, when Zuckerberg and Chan announced that they would donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares, worth about $45 billion at the time, to advance human potential and promote equality. CZI focuses on four main areas: education, health, science, and justice.
Some of the projects and causes that CZI has supported include: the Primary School, a network of integrated health and education centers for low-income families; the Biohub, a research center that aims to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of the century; the Breakthrough Prize, an award that honors scientific achievements; the DREAM Act, a legislation that would grant legal status to undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children; and criminal justice reform.
The Personal Life of Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg met his future wife, Priscilla Chan, at a fraternity party during his sophomore year at Harvard. They dated for nine years before getting married in a surprise ceremony in their backyard on May 19, 2012. The couple has two daughters: Maxima (Max), born in 2015, and August, born in 2017. Zuckerberg announced both of their births on Facebook, along with letters expressing his hopes and dreams for them.
Zuckerberg is known for his simple and casual style, often wearing a gray T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He is also fond of his dog, Beast, a Hungarian sheepdog that has its own Facebook page with millions of followers. He speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently, which he learned to communicate with Chan's family. He also practices Buddhism and meditation.
Conclusion
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most successful and influential entrepreneurs of our time. He co-founded and leads Facebook, the largest social media platform in the world, which has transformed the way people communicate, share, and learn. He also created Meta Platforms, a company that aims to build the metaverse, a virtual environment that will enable new forms of social interaction and digital experiences. He is also a generous philanthropist, who has committed to donate most of his wealth to improve education, health, science, and justice. He is a visionary leader, a passionate innovator, and a devoted husband and father.
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