There are many prominent CEOs out there who live extravagant lifestyles. Guys like Richard Branson love to show off the fact that they’re billionaires and even invite you in to see there lavish lives filled with fancy cars, planes, big homes, owned islands, and plenty of unnecessary toys. But head of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg is one young billionaire who doesn’t flaunt his assets. In fact you might be surprised at how he does in fact spend his money. You might think a guy who pulled in over $3 Billion might go on a spending spree, but even at the young age of 29, Zuckerberg has managed to keep a very straight head about how he spends his fortune. It’s hard not to like the guy. Frankly I think he’s truly coming into his own as a CEO and there are a number of things that sets him apart from the rest of the tech CEO’s that came before him. He’s not known for his temper like Steve Jobs was. He doesn’t show many signs of being “greedy” like a young Bill Gates (although Bill Gates is now one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists). Granted when you’re the CEO of one of the biggest websites in the world you have to be aggressive as well as a visionary, Zuckerberg has seemed to do this in what I’d consider a low-profile kind of way. So where exactly does Mr. Zuckerberg spend his money? Let me show you:
His homes
If there’s a likeness I see in Zuckerberg to another famous billionaire it’s Warren Buffett. Buffett has always been known as the kind of guy who never flaunts is wealth. He’s lived in the same house for decades, still drives a clunky car, and has always been known to wear suits that look dingy and don’t fit him. Zuckerberg rarely, if ever, wears suits. When it comes to his assets he and wife Priscilla Chan own two pieces of property in the Bay area. Back in 2011 they paid $7 Million for a 5,000-square-foot house in the Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto, the same area where Steve Jobs once lived. However in comparison to some of the homes out there with 20,000+ square feet, golf courses, and basketball courts, this is hardly being ostentatious. In fact it wasn’t even until recently that Zuckerberg spent more money on property. The couple did buy four surrounding properties for another $30 million over two years, but even this purchase has an honorable story behind it. The move was made to thwart a developer who wanted to buy the adjacent homes and tear them down to be replaced with McMansions (then marketing Zuckerberg as a neighbor to potential buyers). Zuckerberg caught wind of this, bought the homes above their market values and rented them back to the residents. The couple also paid $10 million for a San Francisco house in the Noe Valley neighborhood. It’s apparently undergoing a massive renovation.
He has no fancy toys
Aside from a jet that Facebook charters for Zuckerberg, you’d be hard pressed to find too many fancy toys of the rich near this guy. He doesn’t own a giant yacht. His cars are nothing that would shock any of us. His home certainly isn’t the supposed technological marvel that Bill Gates’ house is. If there’s one indulgence he’s seen as potentially having, it’s art. Zuckerberg, along with other celebrities including Martha Stewart and private equity titan Henry Kravis, reportedly attended the gigantic modern art showcase Art Basel in Miami in December. Works from artists ranging from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol as well as Mr. Hirst attracted some 75,000 visitors, however there were no reports that Zuckberg was a buyer. So he may not even own a fancy piece of art.
He donates to Charity
Not only does Mark Zuckerberg donate to charity, he was named the most charitable human being in the world for 2013. Not a bad honor for a guy who doesn’t have to do anything with his billions but keep them if he wanted to. Back in 2010, Zuckerberg promised to give away half or more of his wealth when he signed the Giving Pledge, the effort by fellow billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to get the 1% more active in philanthropy. He’s also listed as a founding donor of Code.org which is a non profit that tries to teach kids computer coding. Also Internet.org is project to bring online access to more parts of the globe which has been backed by Facebook. These are only two of the charities and organizations that are listed. It’s possible Zuckerberg could be donating to many more places.
He’s a venture investor
Zuckerberg began a school-improvement effort called Startup: Education. What was his contribution there? $100 million donation. Last year the effort last year invested in Panorama Education, a Massachusetts-based startup analyzing survey data from teachers, parents and students to advance schools. Other investors in Startup:Education include Yale University and Google VC Unit. In December, Zuckerberg’s firm backed EducationSuperhighway, a nonprofit helping to bring faster online connections to schools. The company, which had raised less than $1 million in 2012, is also backed by the Gates Foundation. Outside of education, Zuckerberg invested in a $40 million round of fundraising by Vicarious, a company developing machine-learning software modeled on the human brain. Facebook co-founder — and Zuckerberg’s Harvard roommate — Dustin Moskovitz was an earlier investor, and other prominent backers include Elon Musk and Ashton Kutcher.
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