Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg celebrated the birth of his daughter on Tuesday by announcing the creation of one of the world’s biggest charities.
Announcing the birth of their daughter Max, the social media billionaire and his wife Priscilla Chan, said in an open letter to the child: “we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.”
To do this, the couple have pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook shares in their lifetime, currently worth about $45bn, as part of their charity the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
The mission of charity, which will be administered by Zuckerberg himself, is to “advance[ing] human potential and promot[ing] equality”, and is already predicted to be worth a potential $3bn by 2018.
The letter, which was posted on Facebook, says:
“Dear Max,
Your mother and I don’t yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You’ve already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.
Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.
While headlines often focus on what’s wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today.
We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation.”
