Well here’s some news that’s bound to get a big “like”: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have welcomed their first child, a daughter, into the world. Mazel tov!
Now, every single new baby is a call for celebration and wonder, but there are a few key takeaways from this particular birth that are worth calling out:
1. They named their daughter Max.
It’s classic, easy to pronounce, yet totally unexpected. And I have a sneaking suspicion that classrooms will soon be filled with lots of little girls named Max (imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?).
2. They wrote her an incredible letter on Facebook.
Usually when a couple has their first child, they can maybe find it in themselves to shoot out a mass text to family members with the height and weight. Mark and Priscilla have taken the birth announcement to a whole new level, with a 72-paragraph (!) letter to Max about the world they hope she will grow up in (spoiler alert: it’s not quite the world we currently have).
3. They announced they’ll be giving away 99% of their Facebook shares (currently about $45 billion) during their lives.
As they write to little Max: “As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation. Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.” Giving away that much money is no small potatoes. In fact, it’s groundbreaking.
And here concludes perhaps the most heartwarming, progressive celebrity pregnancy to date: an honest pregnancy announcement that included their struggles with infertility; being photographed by Annie Leibovitz for a stunning portrait; announcing Mark is going to take a two-month paternity leave; and now little Max is here.
So yes, join us in wishing the Chan Zuckerberg family one very big mazel tov.
