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‹ Meta Platforms

Who is behind Meta Platforms?

Also known as Facebook, Facebook, Inc., Thefacebook, Meta

Shows documented founders, leaders, board members, funders and owners.

Not who made decisions, or why.

9 links · 2004 –

Play Explore

A connection is not evidence of wrongdoing.

Over time
  1. Led by Mark Zuckerberg Jul 2004 –
  2. Board Jim Breyer Apr 2005 – Jun 2013
  3. Board Peter Thiel Apr 2005 – May 2022

On the record

Sourced links that no one presents as their own account, as recorded so far. Others may exist.

Founded by

Led by

Board

  • Jim Breyer board member of Apr 2005 – Jun 2013 Primary record 24
  • Peter Thiel board member of Apr 2005 – May 2022 Primary record 23

Money in

  • Peter Thiel invested in 2004 first outside investor (10.2%), $500,000 Scholarship & press 5
  • Accel invested in May 2005 lead investor, 2005 round, $12.7M Primary record 26

    Widely reported as Facebook's Series A. Facebook's 2012 prospectus dates its Series A financing to 2005 and lists Accel among the parties to its investors' rights agreement.

  • Jim Breyer invested in May 2005 personal investment alongside Accel, $1M Scholarship & press 6
  • Microsoft invested in Oct 2007 equity stake at a $15 billion valuation, $240M Primary record 7

Owners

  • Chan Zuckerberg Initiative owns a stake in 31 Mar 2016 414,569,691 shares, as of 31 Mar 2016 Primary record 8

    445,946 Class A and 414,123,745 Class B shares (414,569,691 in all), held by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LLC. Facebook's filings say Mark Zuckerberg controls the voting of these shares.

Going further

Proof 8 sources
  1. Person of the Year 2010: Mark Zuckerberg, TIME, 15 Dec 2010. Scholarship & press
    in February 2004, when Zuckerberg was a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard, he started a Web service from his dorm. It was called Thefacebook.com
  2. Facebook, Inc. registration statement (Form S-1), February 2012, Meta Platforms, 1 Feb 2012. Primary record
    Mark Zuckerberg is our founder and has served as our CEO and as a member of our board of directors since July 2004.
    James W. Breyer has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2005.
    Peter A. Thiel has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2005.
    along with entities affiliated with Mr. Thiel, Accel Partners, and DST Global Limited, as well as certain other parties, are parties to the IRA. We originally entered into the IRA in connection with our Series A financing in 2005
  3. Meta Platforms, Inc. 2022 proxy statement (Schedule 14A), Meta Platforms, Apr 2022. Primary record
    Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer
    Peter will be retiring from our board when his term concludes at the Annual Meeting.
  4. Facebook, Inc. 2013 proxy statement (Schedule 14A), Meta Platforms, Apr 2013. Primary record
    On April 23, 2013, Mr. Breyer notified us of his decision not to stand for reelection to our board of directors at the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (Annual Meeting).
  5. Peter Thiel: Facebook IPO, CNBC, May 2012. Scholarship & press
    His $500,000 investment in 2004 represented 10.2 percent of the company at the time.
  6. Jim Breyer (via Accel Partners), CNBC, May 2012. Scholarship & press
    In May 2005, at Breyer's urging, Accel invested $12.7 million in Facebook, and Breyer added $1 million of his own money to the pot.
  7. Facebook and Microsoft Expand Strategic Alliance, Microsoft, 24 Oct 2007. Primary record
    Microsoft will take a $240 million equity stake in Facebook’s next round of financing at a $15 billion valuation.
  8. Facebook, Inc. 2016 proxy statement (Schedule 14A), Meta Platforms, 2 Jun 2016. Primary record
    445,946 shares of Class A common stock and 414,123,745 shares of Class B common stock held of record by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LLC (CZI). The 2006 Trust is the sole member of CZI.
How this answer is built

Lines on the record come first: sourced links that no one presents as their own account, each with its strongest source. Then every account recorded here gets its own column, A to Z, none ranked above another. A column quotes only that account's own words and shows the strength of its own sources. Disputed lines are listed apart, with the reason, and lines still being verified come last. Neither is counted. Withdrawn lines are never shown.

When a list is longer than the page shows, the links the public methodology ranks strongest stay (methodology 0.3), and the rest open in the explorer.

Know a source we are missing? Propose it with a pull request to content/entities/org/me/meta-platforms.md.