At the age of 35, Mark Zuckerberg is the fifth-richest person in the world, and the wealthiest among the world’s famous technology moguls. It will come as no surprise then that the world, especially his employees and other members of the tech industry, have been highly curious about how much money he is making. With his net worth standing at 75.5 billion dollars and a bounty of potential yet untapped business opportunities, many often wonder just exactly how much Zuckerberg makes minute by minute.
Although it isn’t possible to get an exact amount as to how much money Zuckerberg is making every minute of every day, some calculations can be made with the help of public records related to his assets and investments. As of 2019, Zuckerberg’s chief asset is the 18% stake that he holds in his creation, Facebook. This stake alone is worth an estimated 56 billion dollars, which means that Zuckerberg’s net worth grows approximately 212,000 thousand dollars every single day. Dividing this number by 86,400 (the total accumulated seconds in 24 hours) it is possible to calculate that Zuckerberg currently makes an astonishing $2.44 dollars every second.
This breaks down to 145.75 dollars per minute: it is simply stunning that someone can make that much money in just one minute. According to the same logic, Zuckerberg would earn 8,747 dollars an hour and 209,152 dollars every single day.
Anthony Cerullo, an expert in the investing sector, believes that ‘Mark Zuckerberg has undeniably made the most out of his resources. Not only was he able to successfully launch an innovative product like Facebook, he was also really aware of the true potential of the internet and tech industry. From the get go, he knew that he was sitting on a goldmine, and he made sure to capitalize on it.’
It is estimated that in 2017, Zuckerberg took home 4 billion dollars in cash: 2.1 billion of it was due to Facebook’s 2017 stock vesting. Apart from money, wealth also involves investments and assets, which makes Zuckerberg’s net worth much more vast in comparison to other tech moguls, most of which have been predicted to only become larger over the years.
Criminal Charges
In the years 2010 and 2011, Zuckerberg had to face a series of criminal charges from former Harvard classmate, Paul Ceglia, who claimed that he owned 84% of Facebook. These accusations were dismissed, but even with all the hard work he put in to make sure that no one else had any financial interest in Facebook, Zuckerberg was still accused of breaching the privacy of users and providing third-party app developers with their private data, including phone numbers and email passwords. The court case was eventually resolved in favour of Zuckerberg and Facebook, but it still serves to highlight the fact that there is always a certain risk that comes with having such a power and influence in the tech world.
Investment Strategies
Despite being only 35 years old, Zuckerberg is known for his impressive investment strategies. While it is true that he has made significant investments in tech and internet-related businesses, a close look into his decisions show that he is also open to diversification: he has made considerable investments bodies as varied as Esalen institute, healthcare institutions, real estate and philanthropy.
Former employee, Martin Luther, revealed that ‘Mark Zuckerberg truly has a knack for investing. He knows how to read a project’s potential and make sure that his investments pay off. This can be seen by his massively successful investments in the likes of Airbnb, Lyft, Slack and many more. What’s more, he also possesses an innate sense of when to bail out of an investment and reduce losses where necessary, which serves as great advice for any investor.’
Business Ventures
Mark Zuckerberg is involved in many different ventures, some of which have been extremely successful while others have been objectively unsuccessful. One of his most celebrated ventures is Facebook, which has revolutionized the way people interact with each other online. Conversely, he was also the first investor in a relatively unknown company called Asana, which had the ambition of developing a simple software to help organize projects and activities. This business venture failed to takeoff and ultimately failed to make any profits.
John Newman, Professor of business at Harvard University, concluded that ‘ Zuckerberg knows a great deal about the tech world, and even more about people. He is able to tell a promising project from a precarious one almost immediately, and he is never afraid to take a risk. Moreover, he is also an advocate of diversification and he is not afraid to diversify his portfolio. This helps him hedge his risks and diversify his wealth.’
Philanthropy and Charity
Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have set up a nonprofit organization, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and have allocated 3 billion dollars for medical research and social causes over the course of multiple years.
Even though Zuckerberg has a significant amount of money in the bank, philanthropy has been an essential part of his life and he has donated millions of dollars to fight global poverty and to benefit people in need.
One of the most noteworthy altruistic projects undertaken by the Zuckerbergs is Biohub, a laboratory that focuses on biomedical advancements. It is also important to highlight that they are also on a mission to improve education, by providing students in poverty-stricken areas with access to online resources and libraries.
Members of the Stanford University acknowledged that ‘this couple doesn’t just talk the talk but walks the walk. They are making a real, tangible difference and their commitment to helping those in need is commendable. Zuckerberg and Chan are setting a great example for the world, and their efforts should be admired.’
Facebook’s Fluctuating Stock Prices
Facebook’s stock prices have experienced a roller-coaster of ups and downs over the past few years, and its CEO has in no small part been involved in many of those decisions. Zuckerberg has, in multiple occasions, decided to sell large chunks of his stocks and turn them into cash. During his tenure, the company’s stock prices have seen both all-time lows as well as all-time highs—a testament to his high degree of market acumen.
Damion Smith, Investment Analyst at Goldman Sachs, believes that ‘Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most influential business personalities currently alive. He is one of those rare and special minds who can understand the stock market from top to bottom, no matter how complex it can be. All his investment strategies and decisions are calculated and well-thought-out, and it shows in the success of his past and present venture.
Successful Companies Acquisitions
Throughout his tenure as CEO, Zuckerberg has overseen the acquisitions of 22 successful companies, which have served to elevate the status of Facebook. Some of the most remarkable ones are Instagram, WhatsApp and Crowdtangle, which remain popular and relevant even today.
Tom Benet, Investment Advisor and Hedge Fund expert, states that ‘Zuckerberg has proved time and time again that he knows how to make the most out of a situation. Whenever it comes to buying a new business, Zuckerberg is calm, confident, and makes sure to do his due diligence. He seems to understand the inner workings of these organisations from close range and will no doubt build them up to be successful in the short term.’
Educational Background
Zuckerberg did exceptionally well in school and was always a very good student. He was accepted into Harvard in 2002, but left in his second year to pursue his business venture; Facebook.
According to Beth Perry, Zuckerberg’s former professor of information technology, ‘Mark was a gifted student. He was always willing to go the extra mile in order to understand the subject matter and he followed our lectures with exceptional dedication. Additionally, he was really involved in extracurricular activities and was always working on something, even if it didn’t involve his studies.’
It is therefore clear that Mark Zuckerberg has had a promising educational background and a great amount of ambition and business savvy, which have propelled him to the very peak of success. His knowledge of the world of technology and investment, coupled with his great ability to create companies and deliver services make him an invaluable asset in the business world.
