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Mark Zuckerberg : The Founder & CEO of World’s Biggest Social Network

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The inventive programmer and the youngest billionaire of the world, Mark Zuckerberg needs no introduction. The CEO and the founder of Facebook, the largest social media network, was once the captain of the fencing team of his school. The young entrepreneur was always interested in programming and used to develop games based on the sketches, his artist friends made. Having a few lawsuits in his name and films made on his life story, Zuckerberg is among the few programmers who have established themselves as the smartest entrepreneurs of the world.

Early Life

Mark Zuckerberg aka Mark Elliot Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984, in White Plains, New York, and grew up in the suburbs of Dobbs Ferry, New York. His father Edward Zuckerberg, a dentist and mother Karen (née Kempner), a psychiatrist, belonged to a Jewish family. He was a bright student and always topped in the class. He completed his schooling from Ardsley High School and Phillips Exeter Academy, in New Hampshire. He excelled in mathematics, astronomy, physics and won many prizes in quiz competitions of his school. By the end of his school, he became proficient in French, Hebrew, Latin, and ancient Greek.

Mark Zuckerberg
Image Source: articlebio.com

Zuckerberg owned his first PC Quantex 486DX, on the Intel 486, when he was in middle school. He, eventually, grew an interest in programming languages and ended up learning Atari BASIC Programming form his father. He also received a private tuition to learn more about programming. Soon, he started developing small applications and developed a program, that connected the computers of his father’s office, through a messenger named ZuckNet. During his final year, at the high school, he joined a company name Intelligent Media Group, that worked to build a music player Synapse Media Player. The media player was developed using AI technology, that enabled it to create a playlist based on the music choice of the user. The music player even grabbed the attention of Microsoft and AOL.

Founding Facebook

After completing his school, due to his outstanding performance, he managed to get admission in one of the top universities of America, the Harvard University. By creating some useful software and games, he had already made his reputation as a programmer. He adopted Computer Science and Psychology as his major subjects. His first software at his college was the CourseMatch. The software helped the students to choose the right course and help others with their choices.

In the summer of 2003, Zuckerberg created a website for the students of the Harvard, named as Facemash. The project was developed during one his insomniac nights. The website was inspired by the college yearbook Facebook, that included the profiles of the students having their personal details and pictures in it. The concept behind Facemash was to compare two students based on their appearance. Most of the students enjoyed using it and the others complained about Zuckerberg, saying that he was using their personal data, without permission. The site got shut down within two days and Zuckerberg had to apologise to the students.

After the failure of Facemash, he started working on his new project, The Facebook. Zuckerberg launched the website after one month, i.e., on 4 February 2004. The website was basically designed for the students of Harvard, to help them connect with each other, easily. The website became an instant hit, and just after a year, it expanded to other colleges and schools, in the city. In the second year of his college, he left his studies in between, to work full-time on The Facebook. The founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, became its first angel investor, by investing $500,000. Soon, Facebook had 50 million registered users, and Zuckerberg started receiving offers to sell Facebook, from large companies, like Yahoo. Even receiving offers worth billions, he never accepted one. Although, he himself acquired many major projects like What’s App and Instagram.

The Lawsuit

On the initial launch of Facebook, three of Zuckerberg ‘s seniors at the University, Divya Narendra, and twin brothers Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, accused Zuckerberg of stealing their idea. According to them, Facebook was based on their idea, that was to create a platform to connect the students of Harvard. They even claimed that they had hired Zuckerberg to work on their website. Later, they even sued him for the same. In the end, there was a settlement between them, for 1.2 million Facebook shares.

Personal Life

Zuckerberg married his longtime girlfriend and fellow student from Harvard, Priscilla Chan, on 19 May 2012. The couple has two daughters Maxima Chan Zuckerberg and August Chan Zuckerberg.

In July 2018, Zuckerberg became the third richest person in the world $81.6 billion net worth. Although, within a week, his net worth was tumbled nearly $20 billion, eliminating him from the position of the third richest person.

Pip Jamieson : The Founder & CEO of The Dots

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The 21st century has brought many revolutionary changes across the globe. Today, female entrepreneurs are competing, shoulder to shoulder in the male-dominated sectors. Now each field is witnessing several such brilliant women exploring, creating, and leading, amazing businesses and inspiring women across the world.

One such female, Pip aka Phillipa Jamieson, from the United Kingdom, has set up a company named ‘The Dots’, which is also popularly known as ‘LinkedIn for Creative people’. She is a passionate, enthusiastic, and always on the lookout for great collaborators.

Early Life and Career

Pip, being dyslexic, struggled with everything, in her early years. Her father worked in the creative industry, which groomed her to become interested in the creative field. When everyone believed she would choose the creative field as a career, her rebellious nature led her to do a degree in Economics. She topped the batch and proved that she could do anything, even if she was dyslexic. Later, she was appointed by the UK government as a fast-stream economist. She joined the government, but, soon left the job to pursue a career in the creative industry.

In the Creative Industry

Pip, initially, worked for the Brit Awards in London and then worked on various roles, while working at MTV, around the world. The idea for Dots arose when she was working with MTV. As a head of marketing at MTV, Pip was finding it really hard to connect with great creative talent and service providers. Also, her colleague Matt Fayle working as a digital director for Viacom in Australia was being asked by creatives for advice on how to set up an online portfolio.

Pip Jamieson
Image Source: startups.co.uk

The creative industry is all about connecting and finding perfect talents. And with the boost of the internet, setting up an online platform for creative people and the ones searching for such talents could prove a boon to the industry. Pip and Matt’s vision was to bridge the gap between the talent and the client creating a commercial outcome.

Pip worked in the creative industry for over 13 years before founding The Dots. She held senior positions in MTV Australia and New Zealand. In 2009, she co-founded The Loop, a leading professional networking site for the creatives in the region. The site has more than 67% of Australian creative people registered. She left The Loop in 2014, to start her own venture.

On 25th September 2014, Pip Jamieson launched her most ambitious and daring business- The Dots. Pip aims to take over LinkedIn as she believes that the future belongs to the creatives. She firmly believes that the speed at which this world is being automated robots will replace most of the jobs/ But, one thing a robot cannot do is to be creative as a human being. Therefore, The Dots serves a great promising future for creative individuals and the whole industry.

The Dots has joined hands with the top UK brands including BBC, Net-a-Porter, Spotify, TATE, V&A, Vice, Jamie Oliver Media Group, AKQA, Liberty, Conde Nast, Sony Music, Virgin Group, and many more. The company plans to expand in Europe and then slowly to the United States.

In an interview, Pip said, “The Dots is set to revolutionise how creatives and businesses connect, collaborate and commercialise; helping to build stronger, more profitable and diverse creative sectors around the world.”

Maurice Flanagan – The Founding CEO of Emirates

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Emirates, world’s number one airlines that have been consistent in maintaining their position on the top for past many years. It is known for providing the world’s best customer service. The company was founded in 1985, with just two aircraft that carried the passengers from and to Dubai, connected with other operators. Emirates is a subsidiary of the government of Dubai and had received $10 million as the startup capital from it. This money was used to lease their first two aircraft from Pakistan International Airlines, along with some technical and administrative support.

The Founder

The founder of Emirates, Maurice Flanagan, was born on 17th November 1928, in Leigh, Lancashire, England. He started his high school at the Leigh Boys Grammar School and then, was transferred to Lymm Grammar School as the World War II broke out.

After completing his high school, Flanagan went to Liverpool University to do his Bachelor’s in History and French and, performed his National Service in the Royal Air Force as a navigator commissioned officer. In November 1951, he received the rank of pilot officer, and in the March of 1954 Flanagan was promoted to the post of flying officer and served as the same, for two years.

Maurice Flanagon
Image Source: www.asiatraveltips.com

Flanagan wanted to become a professional football player. Blackburn Rovers showed an interest in nurturing Flanagan’s talent and take him towards his dream. But, unfortunately, during one evening outing, Flanagan suffered a knee injury that became the reason for his degrading football career.

As his athletic career came to an end, Flanagan started working as a management trainee, with the BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) and worked in the parts of Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, UK, and Iran. Flanagan worked with BOAC for 25 years, before the launching of Emirates, in 1985. He also had a flair for writing and even won a TV playwriting competition in 1969, organized by a newspaper named Observer. Kenneth Tynan, an English theatre critic and writer, invited him to write for the National Theatre, but, Flanagan chose to go for an airline career as it seemed more secure.

The Dubai Government looked up to Flanagan’s years of experience in the airline industry and were impressed by his talent. So, they appointed him to launch the Emirates. The company was an immediate success, as it recovered all of its initial investment money just in the following year.

The Success Flight of Emirates

Emirates carried more than 260,000 passengers in the year of the launch itself and, promised to grow even further at a staggering rate. Just in the next year, the company launched its services to Southeast Asia and Egypt. And the next year, their expansion reached 11 destinations, with regular flight services. During the first decade, the company reported an average of 30% growth each year and, declared profits for seven years.

Currently, the company has the largest fleet of Boeing 777s, the biggest aircraft in the market, and Airbus A380. Emirates maintain an average age of each aeroplane to about 6.3 years and, is committed to sustaining that standard. Emirates flight services run for 142 destinations in 78 countries.

The central hub of the airline is located at one of the most beautiful airports in the world i.e. Dubai. Emirates are also popular and widespread in the South and Southeast Asia regions. In India itself, the Emirates serves to 9 Indian airports and is the most preferred airline among the businessmen. It’s in-flight, as well as ground services, are commendable. Even economy class passengers get top-class services including comfortable sitting and in-flight entertainment, etc..

Personal Life

Maurice Flanagan retired from executive vice chairman post on April 2013. In his 35 years of service, the airline witnessed staggering growth and profits. He was recognized as Personality of the Year by Flight International Magazine.

He married a journalist named Audrey Bolton in 1955 and gave birth to three children. He has five grandchildren. He died on 7th May 2015 at the age of 86 at his home in London.

Sundar Pichai – The CEO Of Google

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World’s biggest tech giants surprised people across the globe when they appointed an Indian to hold the highest position in their company. First Microsoft, and then Google chose the most qualified candidate for the role of CEO of their respective companies. To helm, the highest position in world’s biggest technology giants is a herculean task and needs a dedicated, calm, and experienced person. Google found its perfect candidate in India born Sundar Pichai, who was working in the company for many years and served on many important positions.

Early Life

Born on 12th July 1972, in a middle-class family in Madurai, Chennai, India, Sundararajan Pichai’s father Regunahta Pichai, worked as a Senior Electrical Engineer for British Conglomerate General Electric Company and his mother worked as a stenographer before she conceived any children. Belonging to a middle-class family Sundar never had the privilege to watch television or travel in a car. At the age of 12, he was introduced to a fascinating technology called a landline phone.

Sundar Pichai was naturally good at remembering, especially numbers. He completed his high school from Jawahar Vidyalaya, situated at Ashok Nagar, and then went to Vana Vani School in Chennai, to pursue his class 12 education. Further, Pichai advanced to one of the prominent engineering institutes in India – Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He graduated in Metallurgical Engineering and didn’t stop just there.

Sundar Pichai
Image Source: wikimedia.org

He further went abroad at Stanford University, to pursue his Masters in Material Sciences and Engineering. After completing his MS, Pichai thought of pursuing PhD in Material Sciences and Semiconductor physics, but instead, he joined a company called Applied Materials, based in Silicon Valley, as an Engineer and Product Manager.

Soon, he quit his job at Applied Materials to join MBA program, at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. After successfully earning his MBA, he joined McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant. This was the point where a single decision changed his life forever.

Pichai at Google

After quitting McKinsey & Company, Pichai joined Google in 2004. Initially, he worked on the product management for a range of products, including Toolbar. Pichai played a prominent role in the success of Google Drive. His phenomenal work on Google’s Toolbar, fast-paced his growth in the company. After its launch, Google noticed how Toolbar proved efficient and increased the user searches. This led Google to launch their own browser Google Chrome in 2008. He was also involved in the development of apps like Gmail and Google Maps.

The success of Google Chrome brought Pichai into the spotlight. Chrome quickly became a favourite browser and surpassed its competitors, Internet Explorer and Firefox. Chrome controls more than 45% market share today and has directed everyone’s attention on Sundar Pichai. Following the success of Chrome, Pichai was then promoted to Vice President of Product Development the same year.

Pichai announced a new video codec developed by Google, called VP8 and a new video format WebM, which consists of different video, audio streams, and text tracks. In 2012, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Chrome and apps.

A year later, he replaced Andy Rubin, to manage all Android related products. He developed a new project called Android One, which aimed towards offering affordable smartphones all across the globe. They launched the Android mobile operating system, on which every smartphone works today.

In 2014, Pichai got promoted to Head of Products. With each promotion, his tasks at the company just got bigger and bigger. Under the Head of Products position, he was responsible to oversee day-to-day operations of Google’s every big product, and the upcoming ones, like Google Photos, and Google Now.

The Leap into the Big League

Sundar Pichai was becoming a well-known face not just in the company, but in the whole Silicon Valley. His leadership qualities and diplomatic nature helped him smoothly close huge deals with the competitors.

His excellent track record came into notice of several other giants in the valley. He was approached to become Vice President of Products at Twitter and was also being considered for the position of CEO of Twitter. Another tech giant Microsoft was also considering Pichai to fill in the shoes of Steve Ballmer, who was retiring from the CEO position.

But, it was the time when Google’s new company Alphabet Inc. was on the way to be launched. As Larry Page resigned as the CEO of Google to take the responsibility of Alphabet, Pichai was the best option as Page’s successor.

And, in 2015, Sundar Pichai was announced as the new CEO of Google.

Personal Life

Pichai married Anjali, his college time girlfriend, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is the citizen of US and stays there with his wife and two children.

Ursula Burns: The first black women CEO of a fortune 500 company

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It all started with a woman, living in the rough and tumble public housing projects on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, believing that educating her children was the only solution to all her problems, mostly poverty. This woman was Ursula Burns’ mother.

“We were poor for sure but my brother and my sister and I were shielded totally form this poverty and we were shielded by this one person and that was my mother”, says Ursula, who was ranked by Forbes magazine amongst the most powerful women on the planet. She adds, “she was a frantic every day to try to make sure that we were safe and fed and educated”.

Her mother used to make $4400 a year, half of which was spent in sending her three children into a catholic school. Ursula remembers her childhood and says, “we got dental care by her (Ursula’s mother) cleaning the dental office. We got healthcare by her cleaning the doctor’s office”.

So, when Ursula completed her schooling and was looking forward to start her college life, her primary motive was to choose a degree course that would help her earn lot of money. After doing some research she came to know that Chemical engineering promised a carrier with the maximum monetary gains. She applied to various colleges and got admitted to Brooklyn Polly.

Ursula Burns
Ursula Burns, Image Credit: fortunelivemedia, Flickr

At Brooklyn Polly, after attending the first lecture, she realized two things. First, she wasn’t good at chemistry. Second, she hated the subject. Disappointed, she decided to stick to her previous plan of being a teacher, which she had abandoned after knowing the salary of a teacher. She also thought of becoming a nun or a nurse.

Fortuitously, her advisor suggested her to look out for other branches of Engineering. Ursula Burns settled for Mechanical Engineering and in her own words, ‘rest is history!’

She was hired by Xerox in 1980 as an intern and a year later she was made a permanent employee. About the time when she joined the firm Ursula recalls, ‘when I joined in 1980 there were literally and virtually no women in engineering.’ She also adds that the absence of any black women in the engineering department became a significant advantage for her. Being different from the crowd she was easily and frequently noticed.

She slowly climbed the ladder of numerous positions before becoming the CEO of the company, thirty years later. She appreciated Xerox’s policy of not asking her to become something or someone they want. All they wanted was her hard work and efforts and in return provided her with ample opportunities. One of the reasons, she admits, that she stayed at Xerox all this time through was that the company stood upon their promises.

Besides Xerox, Ursula Burns has served on numerous professional and community boards, which includes Exxon Mobil Corporation, American Express, Boston Scientific, National Association of Manufacturers, University of Rochester, the MIT Corporation, the Rochester Business Alliance, and the RUMP Group. She is also among the founding Board of Directors of Change the Equation, which is an organization that focuses on improving STEM-based education in the United States.

Ursula became the first black-African women CEO of a fortune 500 company. In 2014, Forbes ranked her the 22nd most powerful women in the world.

In a speech she delivered at MIT she recalls an advise her mother gave her: Where you are is not who you are. ‘…until I became the president of Xerox and I started to realize that if you don’t check yourself early you’ll start to become these ugly people these ugly leaders who think they’ve so much and that they’re so far away from the people who actually make the world go.’

In the same commencement speech at MIT, from where her own son graduated, she concluded by saying,

‘The measure of money is the least important measure over the long term.’