The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook : a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal

Front Cover
Anchor Books, 2010 - Biography & Autobiography - 260 pages
NATIONAL BESTSELLER

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"


Exuberant and revealing, The Accidental Billionaires is a fast-paced, inside look at a story of fortune gained and innocence lost, and how a company that was created to bring people together ultimately tore two friends apart.

In 2003, Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg were Harvard undergrads and best friends looking for a way to stand out among the university's elite and competitive student body. Then one lonely night, Zuckerberg hacked into the campus computer system to pull off a prank that crashed Harvard's network. This stunt almost got him expelled, but it also inspired Zuckerberg to create Facebook, the social networking site that has since revolutionized how people around the world communicate. With Saverin's funding their small start-up quickly went from their college dorm room to Silicon Valley. But different ideas about Facebook's future tested Zuckerberg and Saverin's relationship, which then spiraled into out-and-out warfare. Soon, the collegiate exuberance that marked their collaboration fell prey to the adult world of venture capitalists, lawyers, and big money.
 

Selected pages

Contents

AUTHORS NOTE
1
OCTOBER 2003
3
HARVARD YARD
11
ON THE CHARLES
23
CANNIBALISTIC CHICKENS
33
THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER 2003
41
LATER THAT EVENING
50
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
55
SERENDIPITY
165
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
173
HENLEY ON THE THAMES
185
JULY 28 2004
191
SAN FRANCISCO
197
OCTOBER 2004
210
DECEMBER 3 2004
217
APRIL 3 2005
222

CHAPTER 8 THE QUAD
58
THE CONNECTION
64
NOVEMBER 25 2003
70
CAMBRIDGE 1
76
JANUARY 14 2004
85
FEBRUARY 4 2004
92
AMERICAN IDOL
107
VERITAS
122
MARCH 2004
132
SPRING SEMESTER
151
MAY 2004
160
APRIL 4 2005
227
WHAT GOES AROUND
231
JUNE 2005
235
THREE MONTHS LATER
242
CEO
247
MAY 2008
250
EPILOGUE WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?
253
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
257
SECONDARY SOURCES
259
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About the author (2010)

Ben Mezrich, a Harvard graduate, is the author of eleven books, including the international bestseller Bringing Down the House, which spent sixty-three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was made into the movie 21, starring Kevin Spacey. He is a columnist for Boston Common and a contributor to Flush magazine. Ben lives in Boston with his wife, Tonya.

Visit the author's website at www.benmezrich.com.

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