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MARK ZUCKERBERG

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Mark Zuckerberg

Introduction

Mark Zuckerberg was born in 1984. He is an entrepreneur who established Facebook with other

two students while still in Harvard. Facebook is a social network site, which is owned privately.

Facebook users use it to create profiles of themselves and post photos. Zuckerberg’s idea of

Facebook is based on similar university sites that allow students to be better acquainted with

each other. Mark Zuckeberg is the youngest billionaire in the world, and his invention has more

than one billion monthly users. First, this paper will begin by analysing Mark Zuckerberge’s

entrepreneurial journey. Secondly, will discuss whether the analysis of Mark Zuckerberge’s

entrepreneurial journey supports the following statement: “Entrepreneurship is simply a matter

of luck, being in the right place at the right time.” Lastly, the paper will make personal

conclusions based on the discussion with regard to creating a successful new venture and

entrepreneurial success.

Analysis of Mark Zuckerberg’s Entrepreneurial Journey

Zuckerberg started programming while in high school, and he devised programs for

communication tools and games. He even devised a program that helped his father’s employees

communicate with one another. Zuckerberg also programmed a music player, which utilized

artificial intelligence to acquire listening habits of users. During this point, he grabbed the

attention of AOL and Microsoft, and both companies offered him a job that he turned down.

They even offered to buy his music player. Instead, he opted to join Harvard (Aron 2012; Cornell

n.d). The idea of Facebook came from his previous school (Philips Exeter Academy) student’s

directory that published profiles and photos of all faculty and students. The school publication
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was also known as “Facebook” that inspired Zuckerberg to develop the idea as a social network

website for his classmates at Harvard. He launched the site from his room in 2004. The site

became so popular that other colleges such as Dartmouth, Stanford, Yale, Cornell, and Columbia

began using it as well. In a few months, hundreds of thousands of students in more than forty-

five schools were utilizing the site (Kumar 2012; Sharon 2015).

Facebook Development

Zuckerberg decided to establish an office in California to facilitate his desire to incorporate

activities of his Facebook while he planned to return to college. However, he did not go back to

college because he was engrossed in his company’s activities. In 2006, Zuckerberg introduced

News Feed that permitted a user to view the activities of their friends on the site. Moreover, in

2007, Facebook provided a platform that allowed programmers to develop social applications in

the website (Kumar 2012; Sharon 2015). Thus, this not only contributed to the site’s phenomenal

development, but also led to millions of subscribers, which made the site a global site. In 2008,

the development of Facebook Connect permitted creation of similar social apps on other sites

other than Facebook. Facebook Beacon permits users to share information that is based on the

activities of their browsing. In 2011, Zuckerberg became the 52nd wealthiest man on the planet

with a net worth of $13.5 billion. In 2012, he proclaimed his plans to launch a Facebook phone

and released Facebook Home in 2013 that is a user interface for Android gadgets (Aron 2012;

Cornell n.d; (The Telegraph 2012).

Zuckerberg has collaborated with nearly all the globe’s leading mobile technological firms to get

more Facebook users (Kumar 2012; Sharon 2015). He also launched Inter.org, a project he
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collaborated with Samsung, Qualcomm Inc., and Nokia. The objective of the project is to get

majority of the world online immediately. Moreover, the project also entailed manufacturing of

cheaper tools and smartphones, which decrease data required to run applications. Currently

Zuckerberg’s net worth is valued at $35.7 billion while Facebook’s market value is valued at

$245 billion (Aron 2012; Cornell n.d; (The Telegraph 2012).

Entrepreneurship is Simply a Matter of Luck, Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

Based on the analysis of Mark Zuckerberg’s entrepreneurial journey, I do not support the

statement that “Entrepreneurship is simply a matter of luck, being in the right place at the right

time.” Luck is among the most underappreciated and misunderstood aspects in life (Heinecke

and Marsh 2003). One cannot attribute Zuckerberg’s Facebook success and growth to luck.

Those individuals who are deemed lucky are usually the ones that primed to undertake the

biggest risks and, through association, are primed to fail every so often. First, Zuckerberg’s

success can be accredited to his passion for creating systems, which connect people, and passion

creates perseverance, which is a major success ingredient (Aron 2012; Cornell n.d). His passion

was to render the world more open, and this is even seen in his company’s mission statement,

which is to grant people the authority to share and render the world more connected and open

(Hirakawa, n.d.; (Tobak 2015; White 2015).

His hard work that began way before he even joined high school, during high school and in

college did not come by sheer luck. He spent years reading manuals on software, programming,

testing, as well as comparing novel technologies (Kumar 2012; Sharon 2015). Perhaps some

individuals cannot attest that being at the right place, at the right time is accredited to successful
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entrepreneurs (Brush, C 2008). However, I believe it has more to do with “doing the right thing,

at the right time, but skilfully. For example, Zuckerberg invented a simple social networking site

with a clear mission and focus. The original Facebook contained the following features: email,

gender, name, relationship status, courses, one photo, and interests (Cuban 2016; Falzani 2016).

Zuckerberg’s success can also be accredited to the fact that he had a purpose from the beginning

(The Telegraph 2012). Great organizations have a feel of purpose rooted in all their activities,

from recruitment, to attracting appropriate investors, to customer service and marketing (Harvell

2012; Heinecke and Marsh 2003). That feeling of purpose creates a feeling of belonging, sparks

intense customer and employee loyalty. Great companies and leaders develop movements, not

just services and products (Gray 2014; Grebey 2013). For example, Facebook is not simply a

social networking website, it is a means of connecting with individuals all over the globe, a place

to build communities and bring individuals together, as well as an information-sharing tool.

Zuckerberg is always focussed on developing the best products to achieve his purpose (Martin

2007; Merrett 2015; (The Telegraph 2012). In particular, Facebook is inspired by technologies,

which revolutionize how individuals consume and share information (Kumar 2012; Sharon

2015). It aims to give more individuals a great voice through talking about such inventions like

television and printing press that simply render communication more efficient (Hirakawa, n.d.).

Other factors have played a major role in the success and growth of Mark Zuckerberg’s

company. These include people, product, and partnerships. For instance, the most innovative and

successful organizations permit their employees the autonomy to take risks and develop their

ideas and interests (Gray 2014; Grebey 2013). These companies are also committed to their
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product. For example, Facebook’s commitment to its product can been seen in the way each

innovation is geared towards furthering its objective of connecting individuals all over the world

in the most simplest manner (Thakur n.d). Thus, for a new venture to be successful, it has to

establish an organizational culture, which welcomes innovation. It should stick to its vision and

dedicate to proliferate the culture, which helps implement that vision (Nenn 2014; Schadt 2006).

Partnerships are crucial for any organization, old or new. No one can operate an organization all

by himself or herself. Great leaders identify their strengths and weaknesses, and bring the

appropriate individuals to create partnerships, which drive success. Thus, the appropriate

partnership execution and imagination is at the core of a successful business venture (Mohaideen

2015).

Conclusion

Conclusively, I believe that creating a successful new business and entrepreneurial success

cannot occur out of sheer luck or being at the right place, at the right time. Being successful in

the business world require a lot of hard work, sacrifices, passion, and making the right decisions

at the right place, at the right time. The case of Zuckerberg is a great illustration of how passion,

purpose, and have a clear-cut mission can lead to growth and success of any new business

venture. Furthermore, businesses have to begin small, just as Facebook was launched from a

college room. Other factors also play a major role in the success of a new business and

entrepreneurial success. These include people, product, and partnerships. New companies must

integrate the right people with the right talent into their business processes to succeed. Thus, their

recruitment systems must be equipped to recruit diverse people with diverse talents that can meet

the needs of the company. Partnerships are also important for new ventures to succeed because
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no one can operate a company alone. Lastly, a new business has to be committed to its mission

and product to be successful. Facebook has been so successful Zuckerberg has strived to

collaborate with the right people to increase traffic in his site. He also looks for innovative

products that meet customers’ needs.

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