Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is a businessman and the cofounder of social networking site Facebook. He was born May 14, 1984 in New York, into a well-educated, affluent family. His father ran a dental office out of their home, and his mother, Karen, was a psychiatrist before the Zuckerberg children were born. With Facebook, Zuckerberg has completely changed the way individuals and businesses interact with each other.

Mark ZuckerbergZuckerberg became interested in computers from a young age, and one of his first creations was a messaging program for his father's dental practice. He and his friends created computer games just for the fun of it, and he later sharpened his skills at Phillips Exeter Academy, a prep school in New Hampshire. There, he became captain of the fencing team, but computers still held his interest. He became locally famous for his software writing talent, and even got job offers from a few companies.

When he graduated from Exeter, Zuckerberg started attending Harvard in 2002. Other students soon sought his help with putting together a social site, Harvard Connection. Before too much longer, though, Zuckerberg lost interest and began working on his own social networking project- which became Facebook. Zuckerberg faced a lawsuit from the students who created Harvard Connection; they claim that he plagiarized their idea, but he says that the two social networks are very different. The two parties reached a preliminary settlement, but the dispute is ongoing.

Facebook was cofounded by Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes, Eduardo Saverin and Dustin Moskovitz. The first site allowed users to post a profile and photos, and to talk with other users. It was first called thefacebook.com, and it was initally run out of a Harvard dorm room. After he finished his sophomore year, Zuckerberg dropped out to focus on Facebook full-time. He moved the operation to Palo Alto, California, and by 2004's end, the site had a million members.

In 2005, Accel Partners provided Facebook with a huge boost, investing almost $13 million into the college network. Soon, high schools and out-of-country schools were added, bringing the membership to 5.5 million users. Facebook attracted the attention of prospective buyers, but Zuckerberg declined offers from Yahoo and MTV, along with others. He put all his focus on improving the site, continually adding new features. Facebook has since opened itself to developers, allowing them to market their games and apps. Today, Facebook has over half a billion users.

The story of Zuckerberg and Facebook was featured in the 2010 film "The Social Network". Zuckerberg was played by actor Jesse Eisenberg in the film, which did not portray the entrepreneur favorably. The film was based on a 2003 Ben Mezrich book, "The Accidental Billionaires", and Zuckerberg's story will be told in a yet-to-be-released Bluewater Productions comic book. Zuckerberg is worth almost $7 billion, and he currently lives in Palo Alto with medical student Priscilla Chan.