Background and Challenges

• Mark Zuckerberg developed a messaging program in Atari BASIC at the age of 12 for his father, Edward Zuckerberg, to use in his dental practice and for his family to communicate at home.

• In addition to working with a private computer tutor hired by his parents, Mark took graduate computer courses at nearby Mercy College.

• While attending Phillips Exeter Academy, he created a music player that adapted to a music listener’s individual tastes that he called Synapse with a friend Adam D’Angelo.