Mark Zuckerberg's Path Not Taken: Facebook Founder's Dad Offered Him Harvard Education Or McDonald's Franchise

This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's success can be attributed to his talent, hard work, and luck. He was a talented programmer from a young age and was able to use his skills to create a social networking site that quickly became popular.

Zuckerberg's leadership and vision also significantly impacted Facebook's success. He has been known for his bold moves and willingness to take risks, such as opening up Facebook's platform to outside developers and acquiring other companies like Instagram and WhatsApp.

Zuckerberg's father, Edward Zuckerberg, has positively influenced his son's life and career and has supported his success with Facebook.

Zuckerberg's father once offered to invest in a McDonald's franchise for his son, before Mark Zuckerberg opted for Harvard.

In an interview with CNN, Zuckerberg's sister Randi Zuckerberg said that Edward Zuckerberg offered his son and each of the three sisters an option to either attend college or run a franchise.

Also Read: Mark Zuckerberg Is 'Kind Of Creepy And Controlling' - This Is What Meta's New AI Chatbot Says About Its Boss

"My dad, funny enough, right before each of us went to college offered us the options of going to college or like investing in a franchise and running it," Randi Zuckerberg told CNN. 

However, Mark Zuckerberg chose Harvard and eventually dropped out in 2005. 

"I think [my parents] were like 'OK, you probably should have taken the McDonald's franchise money if you wanted a business. But, OK, this might be a second good choice,'" Randi Zuckerberg said. 

She said she believes their family dynamics may have inspired Facebook's mission of connecting with others.

"When you have such a big family, you kind of have all of your companions built into your family unit," Randi Zuckerberg said. "Maybe after just spending his entire childhood growing up with three sisters, he's like, I've just got to connect with other people."

Randi Zuckerberg was an early employee of Facebook, but now she runs her own production company - Zuckerberg Media. 

Mark Zuckerberg has also had detractors over his rise to success, including a senior fellow at Harvard Business School and former CEO of medical technology company Medtronic, Bill George, who last year said that Zuckerberg's leadership approach as the CEO of Meta has not helped the company grow and instead dragged it toward failure. 

"I think Facebook will not do well as long as he's there. It's too bad that Mark is derailing right in real-time."

In June 2022, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen said that Facebook can't recover as long as Zuckerberg is the leader. 

Now Read: Hold Onto Your Wallets — A New World Currency Could Be In The Making, Courtesy Of BRICS Nations

Photo: Shutterstock