Mark Zuckerberg Pledges To Donate $45B Of Facebook Shares In Letter To Daughter

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged Tuesday to give away 99 percent of their shares in the social networking giant – currently valued around $45 billion – in a letter to the couple’s newborn daughter, Max.

In the sweeping 2,000-word note posted to the site Tuesday afternoon, Zuckerberg vowed to cure diseases, champion “personalized learning,” and promote equality through the Chan Zuckerberg initiative.

“We will give 99% of our Facebook shares – currently about $45 billion – during our lives to advance this mission,” the couple wrote in the letter. “We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.”

Zuckerberg also wrote he intends to serve as Facebook’s CEO for “many, many years to come.”

The note quickly garnered some 14,000 comments from wish wishers, including a who’s-who of media and tech heavy hitters like Sheryl Sandberg, Melinda Gates, and Arianna Huffington.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. OK Trump, you have been one upped. Just try to do better than the Zuckerbergs. Your paltry $5 million charge to do the GOP debate looks rather crass now, doesn’t it?

  2. Shorter Trump: Loser!

  3. Avatar for darcy darcy says:

    FU Zuckerberg. What about those that really need it. Spread the wealth you tax dodging prick.

  4. That Zuckerberg’s giving it away won’t make me join FB
    Its just gotta gall Trump that this kid’s got 10 times more money that he does.

  5. Hmmmph. Well? Good on him, I guess. my suggestion would be to move it to a trust now, pay yourself 200k a year, and live off that. Sell your mansions.

    Wealth is not good for children, and it is a sign of a mature adult that he realizes that.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

48 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for ealleniii Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for sooner Avatar for jloomis3 Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for pickwick Avatar for leftflank Avatar for chammy Avatar for terrymahoney Avatar for turdburgler Avatar for irasdad Avatar for mrcomments Avatar for afisher Avatar for slagathor Avatar for callmeeric Avatar for blueberrytomatosoup Avatar for darcy Avatar for robcat2075 Avatar for darrtown Avatar for beattycat Avatar for wtf1 Avatar for suffra_jett Avatar for nydiva

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: