Sweet Details About Mark Zuckerberg's Relationship With Wife, Priscilla Chan
Welcome to Facebook.
catwalker / Shutterstock If you use Facebook a lot, then you have to thank (or criticize) Mark Zuckerberg for his creation.
Mark Zuckerberg is an Internet entrepreneur, philanthropist, and, of course, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook. He tends to be a fairly private figure for someone who's in the public domain so often.
But though Zuckerberg is incredibly intelligent and successful, and basically changed the way we navigate social media, his wife, Priscilla Chan, isn't just his spouse. In fact, she's quite accomplished on her own.
Who is Mark Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan?
Priscilla Chen was born on February 24, 1985, in Braintree, Massachusetts, making her 36 years old and a Pisces. Though Chan is an American, her parents are Chinese and lived in Vietnam, leaving the country by refugee boats. Chan was raised speaking Cantonese and was the first college graduate in her family.
Chan attended Quincy High School where she graduated valedictorian and played tennis. She attended Harvard from 2003-2007, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology. One year later, she attended the University of California San Francisco, from 2008-2012, and received her medical degree.
Chan is now a pediatrician and philanthropist.
How did Mark Zuckerberg meet his wife?
The two were college sweethearts and met at Harvard University in 2003 when they were both in line for the bathroom at a frat party.
Chan recalled meeting Zuckerberg, saying, “He was this nerdy guy who was just a little bit out there. I remember he had these beer glasses that said 'pound include beer dot H.' It’s a tag for C++. It’s like college humor but with a nerdy, computer-science appeal."
David Kirkpatrick, the writer of "The Facebook Effect," stated that Chan “just treats [Mark] like the guy she’s in love with, not the same Mark Zuckerberg everyone else fell in love with.”
But when Chan first met Zuckerberg, she thought he lacked ambition. On their first date, Chan revealed, “He told me that he'd rather go on a date with me than finish his take-home midterm. The type-A first child in me was appalled."
When did Zuckerberg marry Chan?
Zuckerberg and Chan have been together ever since they met, and wed in May 2012. Less than 100 people attended the wedding, where the dinner menu included sushi and Mexican food, with a killer performance from Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day.
The wedding itself was a surprise, as the guests thought this was a celebration of Chan graduating. Zuckerberg even made the announcement official on the platform he created.
What are Priscilla Chan's hobbies?
Priscilla Chan likes to stay out of the public eye and tends to be pretty private. She rarely speaks to the media. She does, however, have a public Facebook page — it would be weird if she didn't, right? — and her interests are cooking and "soft things."
Chan’s friends describe her as “a quiet yet forceful presence who is protective of [Zuckerberg].”
She enjoys cooking and makes a great lemon ricotta pizza. The couple is more apt to host a private dinner party at home rather than going out, and both love their dog, Beast.
Chan is cool with Zuckerberg's anti-fashion.
Chan clearly is not someone who is too uptight about Zuckerberg’s infamous hoodie-wearing.
On her husband's sartorial choices, Chan said in an interview with Savannah Guthrie, "I'm happy with whatever he wants to wear, as long as it's appropriate for where we're going. So he can't wear it to weddings. And he can't wear it to baby showers. But he can do whatever else he wants. I’m pro-hoodie. He wears a fresh hoodie every day so that pretty much meets my lowest barrier for him. I'm more concerned that he eats regularly."
What is the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative?
In 2015, Zuckerberg and Chan founded the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization funded by 99 percent of the couple's money from Facebook shares.
The goal of the initiative is to “leverage technology, community-driven solutions, and collaboration to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone,” and focus on supporting science through biomedical research and personalized learning.
The initiative started getting traction in September 2016 when Chan and Zuckerberg committed to contribute $600 million over the next 12 years to the CZ Biohub. The CZ Biohub is a non-profit organization in San Francisco that brings together physicians, scientists, and engineers for science.
The couple helped give millions to the San Francisco General Hospital where Chan used to work.
In 2015, Zuckerberg and Chan gave $75 million to the San Francisco General Hospital where Chan used to work as a pediatrician, and it was the city’s sole public hospital. The hospital was then formally renamed the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center after the donation.
However, that name didn't last too long after the 2016 Facebook scandals and troubles. Instead of renaming the hospital yet again, they found a middle ground and shortened the name down to the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
How many children does Zuckerberg have with Chan?
Zuckerberg and Chan have two children: a daughter named Maxima, born in December 2015, and a daughter named August, born in August 2017.
Zuckerberg and Chan try not to spoil their children and want them to grow up grounded. Zuckerberg has stated on parenting, “First of all, we don’t give them everything, so I think that that’s an important piece. They have chores.”
Mark Zuckerberg's house — where does the couple live?
Zuckerberg owns 10 properties. He has a home in Palo Alto, where the couple and their family currently live, which makes sense since that's where Facebook is headquartered. He also likes to buy surrounding homes for privacy, so he also owns four homes surrounding his primary Palo Alto house.
He owns a townhouse in San Francisco and spent $1.6 million in renovations. He also owns two huge properties in Hawaii, priced at $100 million.
He and Chan have a secluded Lake Tahoe home on a private waterfront. He bought an estate for $22 million, which is also located in Lake Tahoe.
How much is Priscilla Chan worth?
Chan’s net worth is $50 billion. As for Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth, he's estimated to be worth $114 billion! net worth is $114 billion. He's currently the fourth richest person in the world, behind Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates.
Jaycee Levin is a writer who covers celebrity news, spirituality, love, and relationships.