Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged that he and his wife will give away 99 percent of their shares in the company “during our lives” to charity.
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In this undated photo provided by Mark Zuckerberg, Max Chan Zuckerberg is held by her parents, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg. However, a Facebook filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today sheds more light on how Zuckerberg plans to gradually donate his shares to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. “We can’t wait to see what you bring to this world”, the letter said. The couple stated, “Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all your children”. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. Zuckerberg, 31, will also keep his majority voting stake at Facebook, even as he transfers more shares to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
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 will give 99% of our Facebook shares – now about $45 billion – during our lives to advance this mission”, Zuckerberg said.
The billionaire social network founder published pictures on Facebook of the couple with their new child.
It’s a world where our generation can advance human potential and promote equality – by curing disease, personalizing learning, harnessing clean energy, connecting people, building strong communities, reducing poverty, providing equal rights and spreading understanding across nations.
The couple has been open about Chan’s pregnancy from the start, writing a public letter about Chan’s three miscarriages before successfully getting pregnant.
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Zuckerberg plans to take two months’ paternity leave to be a dad.
