Mark Zuckerberg Says He Was an 'Awkward' Leader When Creating Facebook: 'Still Not My Best Thing' Meta's CEO said being Facebook's founder and leader at age 19 required lots of "feedback loops."
By Emily Rella Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- Mark Zuckerberg said he was "awkward" during his early years at Facebook and worked through a lot of trial and error.
- Zuckerberg was only 19 years old when he founded Facebook, which is now part of Meta.
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Mark Zuckerberg may be the founder of one of the biggest tech companies in the world — with a bank account to match — but that doesn't mean being a public figure has been easy for him.
On the Meta-owned platform, Threads, Zuckerberg replied to a post that called out his age (19) when he founded Facebook in 2004. The now-billionaire said that, at the time, he was "awkward" when learning the ropes.
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"I was 19 and didn't know anything about running a company, communicating publicly," he wrote.
"Being awkward and getting negative feedback on how I came across definitely made me more careful and scripted," Zuckerberg added. "Still not my best thing, but getting a bit more comfortable just being me as I get older."
Zuckerberg's followers applauded his honesty on the social platform in response.
"It feels like we're growing up together," one user said. "It's both heartwarming and inspiring in a way."
"You're doing a great job," another penned. "Every CEO can learn something from your experience in publicity."
In 2018, Zuckerberg told Freakonomics Radio that he never intended to build a company and that he "was just trying to help connect people at colleges and a few schools."
Related: Zuckerberg Sweeps Up $17 Million Estate in Hawaii
Meta's CEO has made waves over the years with his changing public persona as he ages, which now includes a passion for MMA fighting, watersports, and being a father of three daughters.
Zuckerberg's net worth as of Wednesday morning was an estimated $174 billion.
