{"id":13209,"date":"2023-11-16T06:35:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T05:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceoinfluencers.com\/?p=13209"},"modified":"2023-11-16T06:35:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T05:35:11","slug":"did-mark-zuckerberg-get-sued-by-his-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceoinfluencers.com\/did-mark-zuckerberg-get-sued-by-his-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Mark Zuckerberg Get Sued By His Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Background of the Case<\/h2>\n

Mark Zuckerberg and his friend, Eduardo Saverin, had a dispute over the ownership and control of the social media company, Facebook Inc. After Zuckerberg’s company was launched, Saverin felt he had been left behind and his equity was diluted. It is important to note that neither Zuckerberg nor Saverin were lawyers or accountants and some of the issues and language in the legal documents were not as clear as they should have been.
\nIn 2004, after Saverin had been removed from the company, he filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg alleging that Zuckerberg had defrauded him out of his equity stake in the company. The lawsuit sought damages of around $600 million. <\/p>\n

Legal View of the Case<\/h2>\n

From a legal perspective, the case concerned the management of the company, particularly in relation to the governance of Zuckerberg’s company, which Saverin claimed he was not given appropriate and fair share of the ownership. Also, Saverin argued that he should have had the opportunity to invest further in the company and receive further equity.
\nIn the lawsuit, it was alleged that Zuckerberg had taken advantage of Saverin’s ignorance, concerning to his shareholding, by intentionally misleading him over the financial history of the company and preventing him from investing further in the company. Also, Saverin stated that he was kept in the dark about the ability of Zuckerberg to raise a large amount of capital.<\/p>\n

Outcome of the Case<\/h2>\n

Ultimately, the case was settled out of court with Saverin receiving an unlock in his stake in the company. However, the specific of the settlement were not disclosed. This means that it is not clear how much Saverin was awarded as a result of his lawsuit.
\nIt is estimated that Saverin’s stake was at least 5% and this was worth around $3 billion when the company went public. So it is possible that the settlement award was significantly more than $600 million.<\/p>\n

Implications of the Case<\/h2>\n

The case between Zuckerberg and Saverin had far reaching implications. It highlighted the importance of having a written contract, rather than relying on verbal agreements. It also raised awareness of the importance of having clear and unambiguous language in legal documents.
\nMoreover, this case also demonstrated why it is important for investors to thoroughly verify the background of potential investments. Had Saverin done this, he might have been in a better position to protect his own interests in Facebook. <\/p>\n

Analysis of the Case<\/h2>\n