Mark Zuckerberg Biography

Fast Facts

• Is heavily involved in philanthropy and signed the Giving Pledge in December 2010, joining people like George Lucas and Bill Gates in promising to donate at least 50 percent of his wealth to charity during his lifetime
• Attended high school at Phillips Exeter Academy and later enrolled at Harvard University, but left to focus on the development of Facebook
• Created his first program on an Atari BASIC when he was 12 years old, a messaging program called "Zucknet" that his father used to communicate with the receptionist at his dental office
• During high school he created a program called Synapse, an early version of the popular music website Pandora, which prompted offers from companies like AOL and Microsoft to hire him before his graduation, which he declined
• Quote: "I would personally rather be underestimated․ It gives us latitude to go out and make some big bets․"
• Quote: "Our mission is to make the world more open and connected․ We do this by giving people the power to share whatever they want and be connected to whoever they want, no matter where they are․"
• Best known as the chairman, CEO, and co-founder of the social networking website Facebook
• First developed Facebook, originally called The Facebook, with Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin in his dorm room at Harvard
• Had a reputation on the Harvard University campus for being the "go-to software developer," creating programs like CourseMatch to help students choose their classes based on past students' experiences
• His life and creation of Facebook were featured in a much-criticized and fictionalized book called "The Accidental Billionaires," which was later adapted as the hit film "The Social Network․"