Great tech innovators: Mark Zuckerberg

Great tech innovators: Mark Zuckerberg
Great tech innovators: Mark Zuckerberg
  • Age: 31
  • Best known for: Facebook, internet.org
  • Quote: "People don't care about what you say, they care about what you build."

Like it or not, Facebook is now the front page of the internet for many. The site has expanded from its initial premise as a social network to a news channel to a video outlet - and it was all started by a 19-year-old college dropout.

Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook when he was at Harvard University. Taking inspiration from the university's own intranet that listed information about everyone on campus, he set about creating a social network that was to be used within the confines of the university. He and roommate Dustin Moskovitz's site, then called TheFacebook, was such a success that they decided to expand it to other schools.

This lead to Zuckerberg setting up an office in Palo Alto, getting funding from PayPal's Peter Thiel and the turning down of many a buyout from bigger companies.

By 2006, Facebook had dropped its definitive article and was made available to anyone aged 13 and above. By 2008 it had 100 million users - in four years this would expand to over a billion.

Such numbers bring massive profits so it was no surprise that in 2012 the company filed for an IPO which means that Zuckerberg now owns 22%of the site, with the rest run by shareholders.

If that wasn't enough to keep him busy, Zuckerberg is also trying to get more people on to the web - not so they can join Facebook but so they are connected to the world around them.

His internet.org initiative hopes to provide web access to 5 billion people in the world - all those who aren't currently connected. He hopes this will create jobs and enhance the 'knowledge economy'. Given the success of Facebook, if anyone can bring the whole world online it will be him.

Not bad for someone who is just 31.

  • In partnership with Microsoft, powered by the HP Spectre x360

The TechRadar hive mind. The Megazord. The Voltron. When our powers combine, we become 'TECHRADAR STAFF'. You'll usually see this author name when the entire team has collaborated on a project or an article, whether that's a run-down ranking of our favorite Marvel films, or a round-up of all the coolest things we've collectively seen at annual tech shows like CES and MWC. We are one.

Latest in Facebook
 Facebook social media app logo on log-in, sign-up registration page
How to delete all your Facebook posts
The Meta logo on a smartphone in front of the Facebook logo a little bit blurred in the background
Meta's new 'Link History' feature for the Facebook app isn't as protective of your data as it claims
The Meta Quest 3 in action
How much more data can Meta collect? Probably a lot, thanks to the Meta Quest 3 and Ray-Ban smart glasses
A laptop screen showing a Facebook Groups page
Scam alert: how to spot hoax posts in your Facebook Groups
Facebook
Facebook Messenger is losing a useful messaging feature soon
mother watching her daughter's activity online
Meta's new Facebook parental controls show social media still doesn't like responsibility
Latest in News
Three angles of the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M4 laptop above a desk
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review roundup – should you buy Apple's new lightweight laptop?
Witchbrook
Witchbrook, the life-sim I've been waiting years for, finally has a release window and it's sooner than you think
Shigeru Miyamoto presents Nintendo Today app
Nintendo Today smartphone app is out now on iOS and Android devices – and here's what it does
Nintendo Virtual Game Card
Nintendo reveals the new Virtual Game Card feature, an easier way to manage your digital Switch games
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date has seemingly been confirmed by Best Buy Canada – here's when you'll be able to order yours
Person printing
Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 update exorcises possessed printers that spewed out pages of random characters