Founders of Facebook: Who Started the Company
Facebook was co-founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes while they were students at Harvard University. The platform launched as "TheFacebook" on February 4, 2004, and quickly expanded to other Ivy League schools. The founding team built the initial code and infrastructure, with Zuckerberg serving as the lead developer and primary public face of the company. The group later rebranded the company to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on virtual and augmented reality technologies. According to SEC filings, the original co-founders held different equity stakes based on their early contributions and roles in the company. View Meta's SEC registration statement for detailed ownership and capital structure information.
Mark Zuckerberg remains the controlling shareholder and CEO of Meta Platforms, holding the largest voting power through his Class B shares. Eduardo Saverin, one of the original co-founders, received a settlement after leaving the company and is now a prominent venture capitalist focused on early-stage technology startups. Andrew McCollum transitioned from Facebook to become a tech investor and entrepreneur, founding several startups in the digital media space. Dustin Moskovitz left Facebook in 2008 to co-found Asana, a project management software company that has grown to serve millions of users globally. Chris Hughes shifted his focus to media and politics, co-founding the online magazine The New Republic and later working on social impact initiatives. Forbes provides a detailed profile of the original founders and their current ventures.
Meta Platforms: Current Structure and Leadership
Meta Platforms operates as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol META. The company's primary revenue comes from digital advertising across its family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Mark Zuckerberg serves as Chairman, CEO, and Chief Product Officer, overseeing the company's long-term strategy and product development. The company employs over 70,000 people globally and has offices in more than 30 countries as of the latest public filings. Meta's official investor relations page provides the latest financial reports, earnings calls, and corporate governance documents.
Meta's board of directors includes Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, and several independent directors. The company has made significant acquisitions over the years, most notably Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, both for cash and stock. Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division dedicated to developing virtual reality and augmented reality hardware and software. The company's annual revenue exceeded $134 billion in 2023, making it one of the largest technology companies in the world by market capitalization. Forbes reports on Meta's revenue growth and competitive position in the digital advertising market.
Founders' Net Worth and Financial Impact
Mark Zuckerberg's net worth is estimated at over $170 billion as of the latest Forbes real-time billionaires list, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in