Comparison Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg born May 14, 1984) is an America media magnet, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding Facebook, Inc. and serves as its chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling shareholder. He also is a co-founder of the solar sail spacecraft development project Breakthrough Star-shot and serves as one of its board members

Born in White Plains, New York, Zuckerberg attended Harvard University, where he launched the Facebook social networking service from his dormitory room on February 4, 2004, with college roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Originally launched to select college campuses, the site expanded rapidly and eventually beyond colleges, reaching one billion users by 2012. Zuckerberg took the company public in May 2012 with majority shares. His net worth is estimated to be nearly $54 billion as of March 2020.In 2007, at age 23, he became the world's youngest self-made billionaire. As of 2019, he is the only person under 50 in the Forbes ten richest people list, and the only one under 40 in the Top 20 Billionaires list.

Since 2010, Time magazine has named Zuckerberg among the 100 wealthiest and most influential people in the world as a part of its Person of the Year award. In December 2016, Zuckerberg was ranked 10th on Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People.

 

William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate, software developer, investor, and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president and chief software architect, while also being the largest individual shareholder until May 2014. He is one of the best-known entrepreneurs and pioneers of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Gates co-founded Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen in 1975, in Albuquerque, New Mexico; it went on to become the world's largest personal computer software company. Gates led the company as chairman and CEO until stepping down as CEO in January 2000, but he remained chairman and became chief software architect. During the late 1990s, Gates had been criticized for his business tactics, which have been considered anti-competitive. This opinion has been upheld by numerous court rulings. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning to a part-time role at Microsoft and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the private charitable foundation that he and his wife, Melinda Gates, established in 2000.

Since 1987, he has been included in the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest people. From 1995 to 2017, he held the Forbes title of the richest person in the world all but four of those years. In October 2017, he was surpassed by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who had an estimated net worth of US$90.6 billion compared to Gates' net worth of US$89.9 billion at the time. As of November 2019, Gates had an estimated net worth of US$107.1 billion, making him the second-wealthiest person in the world, behind Bezos.

The catch

Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are two pioneers in the field of technology and telecommunications. The first invented Facebook – one of the most famous and used social networks of all times – while the latter is the principal founder of the Microsoft Corporation, one of the world’s largest PC software companies.

Both Zuckerberg and Gates are incredibly talented in computer programming and IT, and both dropped out of Harvard – one of the most prestigious universities in the United States – to devote their time to completing their projects and pursuing their entrepreneurial careers.

Zuckerberg and Gates revolutionized the tech industry and the entire world, allowing millions of people to communicate in a quicker manner and to share their lives with friends and family members all over the world.

Both entrepreneurs and tech pioneers have faced – and continue to face – significant challenges and legal battles to protect and improve their work. In particular, Facebook – Zuckerberg’s creation – is currently in the midst of a world-large debate after it resulted that the platform hacked and collected personal information of millions of users, which has – in turn – been used to manipulate voters’ and citizens’ opinions.

Even though their accomplishments and their strategies have often been up for debate, it is undeniable that Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates contributes in changing the world, allowing digitization and fast-communication techniques to spread.

Similarities  Zuckerberg/Gates

•  They both dropped out from Harvard to pursue their ideas and work full time on their projects;
• They are incredibly skilled, talented and intuitive individuals, who innovated the field of Internet technology and who contributed to changing the life of billions of people;
• They had to face legal battles to defend their work and their business tactics, even though Zuckerberg has faced larger criticism because of the nature of his creation, which has significant social, cultural, political and economic consequences;
• They are two of the richest men on the planet, and they are both active philanthropists and humanitarians. In 2010, along with Warren Buffet, they signed the “Giving Pledge,” in which they commit to donating half of their wealth to charitable organizations during time, also inviting other wealth individuals to do the same; and
• They are both known for their relaxed and casual style. Even though they are billionaires, they often dress with casual clothes rather than expensive suits.

 Differences  Zuckerberg/Gates

Even though the two have a lot in common – mainly because they are both pioneers in the field of Internet technology – they differ quite a lot from each other. Some of the main differences between the two include:

Their creation

Even though both are involved in the field of Internet computers and innovation, their two creations are quite different. Microsoft is a PC Software company while Facebook is one of the world’s most famous social networks, which allows people from all over the world to share information and to talk to each other anywhere in the world. In addition, the Microsoft corporation manufactures software, electronics and personal computers – which are then sold to the public, while Facebook does not manufacture anything, but mainly offers a service to people who wish to remain in touch with friends and relatives all over the world; and

Intentionality

Bill Gates had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve and what his goal was, while Zuckerberg (along with his colleagues and fellow students) created Facebook with the primary intention of providing a tool to facilitate communication among students on campus. Facebook popularity escalated rapidly among students, and slowly began to spread even outside the campus, even though Zuckerberg had not originally planned it. As such, Zuckerberg’s success was not as intentional as Gates’ was.

entrepreneurs and are two pioneers in the field of technology and telecommunications. Yet, despite some similarities in their career and in their field of expertise, they differ significantly in the way they run their companies. Both had to face various legal controversies and both are involved in philanthropy and charitable works, but their style and their life choices are very different – and their age difference plays an important role in highlighting the differences between the two.

Will Zuckerberg Surpass Gates

Where cash is involved, one can admit that Bill Gates is one of the kings. However not all thrones are safe for all the generations to come. With that in mind, it’s worth noting that there is a possibility that Mr. Zuckerberg might be able to surpass Mr. Gates in the future considering the pace at which Facebook is growing.  

Different eras, but with similar visions for the future, Mark Zuckerberg is now all set to surpass Bill Gates and here are some indications that make us believe he will achieve this sooner rather than later.

• Mark Zuckerberg’s tech empire was established when he was half the age of Bill Gates 
• Mark Zuckerberg has time on hands for working on new innovative ideas and expanding his ventures whereas Bill Gates has already reached the age of retirement.
• Zuckerberg is closing in on the top position on Forbes He has reached quite close to Bill Gates who holds the second spot as of June 2020. Since Bill cannot go any higher than 1, you understand the rest.
• Zuckerberg seems to make good decisions. Facebook decided to acquire WhatsApp and Instagram whereas Microsoft’s decision to acquire Nokia, which didn’t prove to be good choice.
• Zuckerberg introduced us to the crazy world of social media through Facebook which is the No.1 app on mobile platform. On the other hand, Microsoft is finding it difficult to compete with Android and iOS.