If you haven’t heard of Mark Zuckerberg, you probably definitely wouldn’t be reading this blog – or any blog for that matter. So profound is the impact of Facebook that roughly 1 in 7 people have a Facebook account – or nearly 1 out of every 2 internet users in the world. Here, in celebration of his 28th birthday, are ten fun facts about the enigmatic Mark Zuckerberg. How many of these did you know?
1) Yes, we all know he’s the world’s youngest billionaire, with an estimated net worth of $17.5 billion, but did you know…
2) …that, according to those who know him best, he’s also one of the cheapest? Zuckerberg is spendthrift in many ways, but perhaps most striking is his relatively humble attitude to real estate. After years of renting, he only recently bought his first house – a comparatively modest 5 bedroom home worth $7 million. Or in other words, 0.04% of his current net worth.
3) Another department that seems to be affected by his thriftiness is his wardrobe – at least according to GQ Magazine, which once featured him in their worst-dressed men in Silicon Valley list. In their words, “Oblivious to the fact that jeans and ties come in skinny sizes – or that suits exist – the father of Facebook (and we do mean father) loves to recycle the fresh-from-Stats-class look.”
4) Speaking of his taste in clothes – Zuckerberg recently faced criticism for wearing his signature hooded sweatshirt to a formal pre-IPO investor meeting – usually a strictly suit and tie affair. According to Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Securities, “He’s actually showing investors he doesn’t care that much; he’s just going to be him… I think that’s a mark of immaturity. I think that he has to realize he’s bringing investors in as a new constituency right now, and I think he’s got to show them the respect that they deserve because he’s asking them for money.”
5) However, Zuckerberg has shown that he can care. According to Facebook’s timeline, he once wore a tie for a full year: “My 2009 challenge was to wear a tie for a whole year. After the start of the recession in 2008, I wanted to signal to everyone at Facebook that this was a serious year for us. Great companies thrive by investing more heavily while everyone else is cutting back during a recession. But great companies also make sure they’re financially strong and sustainable. My tie was the symbol of how serious and important a year this was, and I wore it every day to show this.”
6) Facebook is not the only thing Zuckerberg invented. While in high-school, he created a program called ZuckNet that allowed the computers in his parents’ home to communicate with the computers in his father’s dental office. Many view this as a crude precursor to the AOL’s Instant Messenger.
7) But that’s not all. While in high school. Zuck was offered $1 million by Microsoft and AOL to further develop a music app he had co-invented, called Synapse Media Player. Microsoft even offered him a job. Instead, Zuckerberg went to Harvard – from where he dropped out two years later.
8) Zuckerberg has his own security detail. According to Facebook’s SEC filings, “We require these security measures for the company’s benefit because of the importance of Mr Zuckerberg to Facebook, and we believe that the costs of this comprehensive security programme are appropriate and necessary.” Badass.
9) Listed as his “Likes” on Facebook are Making Things, Minimalism, Eliminating Desire, Openness, Information Flow, Breaking Things, and Revolutions.
10) He can’t see red or green. Being red-green colorblind, the color he sees best is blue. Now where have we seen that before…
Psst! Click here to read 11 things you didn’t know about Facebook.