Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, have not only welcomed their first child – a baby girl, called Max – into the world, but the parents have pledged to change the lives of her generation through a huge donation.
The co-founder and chief executive of Facebook posted an open letter on the social media site pledging to donate 99 per cent of Facebook shares – currently worth about $45 billion – during their lifetime to “improving this world for the next generation”.
“Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities,” wrote the couple.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has been created to hold the funds and manage the donation strategy.
“We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues,” wrote the new parents.
“But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.”
The New York Times quotes a Facebook securities filing, revealing Zuckerberg’s plan “to sell or gift no more than $1 billion of Facebook stock each year for the next three years.”
Philanthropy hasn’t begun here for Zuckerberg who signed on to the Breakthrough Energy Coalition – led by Bill Gates – earlier this week, while Facebook began working with Summit Public Schools in September to develop an online strategy to individualise education for kids.
“Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children,” wrote Zuckerberg and Chan in the Facebook post which has gained more than 340,000 likes and 34,000 shares.
“We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. We can’t wait to see what you bring to this world.”
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