Mark Zuckerberg announced the birth of his daughter Tuesday, along with his commitment to donating 99% of his Facebook shares to charity over his lifetime.
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Zuckerberg, 31, and his wife Priscilla Chan, 30, waited until the birth of their first child, a girl named Max, to reveal their intention to give away all but 1 percent of the Facebook stock that accounts for most of their fortune.
We already knew Mark Zuckerberg was a massive giver-the Facebook CEO dropped a $75 million donation on the San Francisco General Hospital this year in addition to setting up a $5 million scholarship fund for undocumented immigrants-but even we were surprised by his most recent announcement. We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. They are forming a new organisation, called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, that will pursue those goals. For now, Zuckerberg will gift up to $1 billion of his stock for each of the next three years.
In the 2,220-word letter, Zuckerberg and Chan touched on issues including health, education, Internet access and learning before announcing the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which aims to “advance human potential and promote equality”.
“It’s a world where our generation can advance human potential and promote equality, by curing disease, personalising learning, harnessing clean energy, connecting people, building strong communities, reducing poverty, providing equal rights and spreading understanding across nations”. Back in 2010, Zuckerberg signed the Giving Pledge which meant he committed more than half of his wealth to philanthropy or charity.
In a letter to the baby, Maxima, posted on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said: “We’re so happy to welcome our daughter Max into this world”.
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The couple says more details will follow in the coming months after both return to work after their maternity and paternity leaves.
