Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2010. All figures are from then: Zuckerberg’s $4 billion fortune, the Financial Times valuation of $33.7 billion, 500 million users, and Facebook being worth more than Yahoo or eBay. Facebook went public in May 2012, and the company is now Meta Platforms.
Mark Zuckerberg, creator of the most important social network on the planet, currently tops the Forbes list of the world’s richest young people. At 20 he had a business idea that, six years later, is no longer just an idea: it’s one of the most profitable businesses around.
Facebook’s creator has a personal fortune of $4 billion, but his business project is worth far more.
The Financial Times has valued Facebook at $33.7 billion, no small figure. Investors are now eagerly awaiting Facebook’s stock market debut, but Mark seems reluctant to take it public, so for now its shares continue to trade on secondary markets.
Facebook has now reached 500 million users and is already worth more on the market than Yahoo or eBay.
Social networks are starting to be promoted as a luxury market for both companies and investors, which is why we recently heard the news of Telefónica buying Tuenti, Spain’s leading social network.
The future of profitability lies in something every company needs, advertising, so social networks will be among the most profitable businesses in the world.
Further reading
- Steve Jobs and the early days of Apple
- How your mindset shapes your success
- The only secrets to becoming rich
Featured image: Robert Scoble, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
