Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born May 14, 1984) is an American businessman. He co-founded the social media service Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), of which he is chairman, chief executive officer and controlling shareholder. Zuckerberg has been the subject of multiple lawsuits regarding the creation and ownership of the website as well as issues of user privacy.
Zuckerberg briefly attended Harvard University, where he launched Facebook in February 2004 with his roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. Zuckerberg took the company public in May 2012 with majority shares. In 2008, at age 23, he became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. He has since used his funds to organize multiple donations, including the establishment of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. His net worth as of September 27, 2024, is US$196.4 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world, behind Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, and Jeff Bezos.
A film depicting Zuckerberg’s early career, legal troubles and initial success with Facebook, The Social Network, was released in 2010 and won multiple Academy Awards. His prominence and fast rise in the technology industry has prompted political and legal attention.