Facebook is now 15 years old. Here's a look into the life, career, and controversies surrounding CEO Mark Zuckerberg (FB)

• Facebook turned 15 years old on Monday, marking the anniversary of Mark Zuckerberg launching the social network on February 4, 2004.
• As Facebook CEO, Zuckerberg has been the face of the social network through its massive growth, as well as its many controversies.
• We've created a timeline outlining Zuckerberg's trajectory, from growing up in a New York City suburb to defending Facebook as it's hit with scandal after scandal.

Through success and controversy, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been regarded as one of the most brilliant minds of his generation. 

With a 2018 net worth of $71 billion, the young CEO is credited with creating a social network that has more monthly active users than any single country in the world has people, and his majority voting rights give him complete control of the company — which also means he's often the focal point of any backlash or scandal.

And for the last two years, Facebook has faced scandal after scandal. It's been called out on multiple occasions for the way it handles user data, to the point where it's led many to debate the pros and cons of free networks like Facebook that rely on advertisers for revenue. In 2018, Zuckerberg was summoned to give 10 hours of testimony to Congress as lawmakers sought answers about Facebook's role in various events like the 2016 election and the Cambridge Analytica data-harvesting scandal.

In the midst of the scandals, Zuckerberg has defended Facebook and reiterated the company's stated mission to connect the world with projects like bringing internet access to areas without less connectivity; through his charity work, he's poured millions into education efforts and billions into initiatives for curing the world's diseases. 

But the recent revelations have put a spotlight on Zuckerberg and his company like never before. Here's a look at the timeline of Zuckerberg's career, from his humble beginnings in a New York suburb to his role as one of the wealthiest CEOs in the world:

SEE ALSO: 33 photos of Facebook's rise from a Harvard dorm room to world domination

While he's now a titan of Silicon Valley, Mark Zuckerberg was raised in the quaint town of Dobbs Ferry, New York. He was born to Edward and Karen Zuckerberg, a dentist and psychiatrist, respectively. He has three siblings: Randi, Donna, and Arielle.

A precocious child, Mark at age 12 created a messaging program called "Zucknet" using Atari BASIC. He also coded computer games for his friends at a young age.

Source: Bio

While attending high school at the renowned Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, he built an early music streaming platform, which both AOL and Microsoft showed interest in. Still a teen, he rejected offers for an acquisition or a job.

Source: Bio

 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Contributer : Tech Insider https://read.bi/2D4r0I4

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