Mark Zuckerberg: Biography of an Accidental Billionaire

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the world’s youngest billionaires, thanks to his role in co-founding social networking site, Facebook. As Facebook has grown exponentially since its founding in 2004 (with 845 million monthly active users as of the end of December 2011 according to Facebook), Zuckerberg’s popularity has also flown through the roof.

Interesting on so many levels, Zuckerberg’s quick rise to fame is one that the mass media and general public just can’t get enough of. There’s his Harvard education, his invention of one of the most popular Internet sites this world has ever seen, his incredible net worth, and, of course, a few public legal scandals along the way – and he’s only reached 27 years of age. He’s also one of the top Wikipedia searches due to the 2010 release of movie, The Social Network, based on his life and his legal battles surrounding Facebook.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Macie Melendez has been a professional writer since 2005 and has been published in various publications, including Home Energy and San Francisco magazine, among others. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Diego State University, and currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and their dog.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

For his senior project at Phillips Exeter, Zuckerberg and a friend wrote software for a music player they called “Synapse.” It worked much like the current Pandora does, learning listeners habits to tailor music they would like. The software became known in the tech world and was even reviewed by PC Magazine. Through online tech blogs and articles, the software behind Synapse caught the attention of both Microsoft and AOL, who both offered to buy Synapse from Zuckerberg, as well as hire him for their company. He turned both of the offers down.

Instead of selling out, Zuckerberg decided he’d expand his knowledge and attend Harvard University in 2002. At Harvard, he studied computer science and joined a Jewish fraternity. He wasn’t too popular, although he did have a few good friends who would later continue to play a role in his technological endeavors. It was during his sophomore year at Harvard, in his dorm room, that Zuckerberg created Facebook. At the end of his sophomore year, he quit Harvard to run the site…

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