Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Overtakes Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google founders

When Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page became billionaires many years ago, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was still struggling with the social networking site. But now he's richer than them, this is according to Bloomberg. See the full report from Bloomberg below...

The Facebook Inc. chairman added $1.6 billion to his fortune yesterday after the world’s largest social network closed at a record. The surge elevated the 30-year-old’s net worth to $33.3 billion, moving him past Brin, 40, and Page, 41, as well as Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, 50, on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Zuckerberg is No. 16 on the ranking. The Google founders are 17th and 18th. Bezos occupies the 20th spot.

“He’s just getting started,” David Kirkpatrick, author of “The Facebook Effect,” said in a telephone interview. “He’s going to become the richest person on the planet.”

The Menlo Park, California-based company posted second-quarter sales that soared 61 percent to $2.91 billion yesterday, exceeding analysts’ average estimate of $2.81 billion. The company’s revenue gain follows Google’s results last week, when the Web-search company posted sales that topped analysts’ estimates, largely based on the strength of online ads.

Facebook has jumped 183 percent in the past 12 months, the biggest rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company trades at 82-times reported earnings, compared to a multiple of 18.2 for the S&P 500. Google is up 7.5 percent for the year.

Mobile promotions accounted for 62 percent of ad sales, up from 59 percent in the prior period. Net income more than doubled to $791 million, with profit excluding some items at 42 cents a share, above the projection of 32 cents. In total, Facebook accounted for 5.8 percent of worldwide digital ad revenue in 2013, up from 4.1 percent in 2012, according to EMarketer Inc.

The company’s performance also propelled the fortunes of other Facebook shareholders, including Dustin Moskovitz, the 30-year-old who started the social network with Zuckerberg at Harvard University a decade ago, and Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s 44-year-old chief operating officer who became one of the world’s youngest female billionaires in January. Sandberg owns about 9.9 million shares valued at $740 million and has collected more than $550 million in share sales.

“The company’s success is growing by the minute,” Kirkpatrick said. “There’s no sign it’s going to slow anytime soon.”

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Facebook Announces Most Popular Celebrity

Colombian singer Shakira has been declared as the person with the most “liked” page on Facebook. According to a statement released by Facebook on Monday, 21 July, 2014, with over 100 million likes, Shakira’s Facebook account is the second most-liked page behind Facebook’s own page.
It was gathered that Shakira joined Facebook in 2007 and has a comfortable lead on her fellow pop stars, trailed by Eminem (91.9 million), Rihanna (89.1 million), Michael Jackson (76.9 million) and Katy Perry (72.5 million).
A photo of the singer standing in the Maracanã football stadium in Brazil, where she performed at the closing ceremony of the World Cup 2014, has become her most popular post with 3.6 million likes. Shakira
Shakira released her 10th album this year, the self-titled Shakira, to positive critical reception, though it peaked at number 14 in the UK album charts. The album has received Diamond sales certification in her native Colombia with 200,000 units sold.
Speaking on the success of her social media page, Shakira said: “I am honoured and humbled about reaching this milestone, because it’s one that’s purely about connecting with my fans from all parts of the globe. “Social media and specifically Facebook has helped myself and other artists bridge the gap between the stage and the audience.
“We’ve been able to create a conversation, where both artists and fans can share with one another their thoughts, achievements, the most important moments of their lives in photographs and videos, and have a real, ongoing dialogue.”
Also commenting, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, wrote on Shakira’s wall, saying: “Congrats! What an amazing milestone for an amazing person.” The songwriter’s full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll and she was born on February 2, 1977.
The star singer is currently in a relationship with the Spanish football player Gerard Pique, defender for FC Barcelona and Spain. According to wikipedia, the duo met in spring 2010 when Piqué appeared in the music video for Shakira’s song “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”, the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa.
Shakira officially confirmed their relationship on March 29, 2011 via Twitter and Facebook, posting a picture of the two with a caption reading: “I present to you my sunshine.” It was the first time she had ever spoken of the relationship after several months of media speculation.
In September 2012, Shakira confirmed that she and Piqué were expecting their first child together. Shakira gave birth to the couple’s son, Milan Piqué Mebarak, on January 22, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain, where the family resides.

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