7 Things You Didn't Know About Mark Zuckerberg

If you haven’t heard of Mark Zuckerberg then firstly this probably wont interest you, but more importantly how have you not heard of him?! Zuckerberg is the genius behind the social media giant Facebook, which he started out of his room at college and as a consequence is now worth an estimated $71 Billion! Here are some things you probably didn’t know about him…

1

He almost worked for Microsoft

During high school he created an app called Synapse Media Player, which kept track of peoples favorite songs via their MP3 player – basically an early version of Spotify.

Microsoft wanted to aquire the software AND its founders, but instead of working for the tech giant, both Zuckerberg and fellow co-founder Adam D’Angelo got a patent for the tech and went to college instead.

2

His eyesight is the reason for Facebook’s colour scheme

Zuckerberg has red-green colour blindness which caused him to come up with Facebook’s trademark blue colour. The reason for this was explained in an interview, he told reporter Jose Antonio Vargas that ‘blue is the richest colour for me – I can see all of blue’.

3

Backyard Wedding

Despite Zuckerberg’s colossal wealth, he and his wife Priscilla decided to get married in the back yard of his $7 million mansion. This is a far cry from other celebrities who went all out their wedding plans. This just goes to show you that you don’t’ necessarily need a giant wedding and should share the special occasion with those who you love. The Zuckerberg’s also served a low-key menu with budget-friendly Mexican food and sushi.

4

He really didn’t like The Social Network film

After seeing The Social Network, Zuckerberg apparently left the theatre huffing and puffing about the film. The Social Network is a movie that is loosely based on his life. The aspect that Zuckerberg disliked the most about the movie was that it portrayed him as creating Facebook to get girls or to get into exclusive clubs. He further noted that the film’s creators seemed to not be able to get their head around the idea that an individual would like to create something innovative because they enjoy building things.

5

His nickname is Slayer

Prior to being called a billionaire, Zuckerberg was referred to as “Slayer” by his Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity brothers. This nickname was related to his fraternity duties and less with his dating reputation. Zuckerberg was the house treasurer and responsible for collecting fees from the active brothers. Apparently he was relentless at tracking down those who owed dues.

6

Worst Dressed Man 2011

In 2011, GQ released an article titled, GQ’s Worst-Dressed Men of Silicon Valley. Due to his plain and simple dressing style, Zuckerberg hit the top spot. He is regularly seen in his trademark tee shirt and jeans, which are very casual. Zuckerberg has never been known to be ostentatious, and we highly doubt he is too concerned about what others think of his dress sense.

7

His yearly salary is $1

When CEO’s are in charge of an extremely profitable company, they will give themselves a salary of only $1 as a standard tax loophole. However, in Zuckerberg’s case, he does not do this to get out of paying taxes. He actually pays a considerable amount on the alternative income tax made from compensations and stock options. His $1 salary actually protects him from specific tax liabilities while ensuring that he earns a performance-based salary as opposed to the company and shareholders just cutting him a check.