As the founder and CEO of Facebook, now known as Meta, Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most well-known technology executives and entrepreneurs in the world. With Meta’s products used by billions of people globally, Zuckerberg has clearly demonstrated his abilities in building and leading a massively successful technology company.
This raises an interesting question – with his role as the head of such a large organization, does Zuckerberg still find time to actively write code himself? Or does he focus solely on high-level strategy and leadership, leaving the hands-on programming work to others?
Quick Answer
Yes, Mark Zuckerberg still actively codes as part of his role at Meta. He has spoken multiple times over the years about how he makes time for coding in his schedule, believing it helps him think about challenges and future directions for Meta’s products in concrete ways. Though he does not have time to singlehandedly code entire products himself anymore, Zuckerberg still engages in coding tasks and reviews code written by others on a regular basis.
Zuckerberg’s Early Days As A Programmer
To understand Zuckerberg’s relationship with coding, it’s helpful to look back at his early days first learning to program and building initial products.
Zuckerberg first started getting into software as a middle school and high school student in the 1990s and early 2000s. He took interest in using computers and writing basic programs during this time, mostly for fun and as a learning experience.
When he got to Harvard University in 2002, Zuckerberg continued pursuing software projects, most notably creating an early version of a Facebook precursor called CourseMatch. This allowed students to see who was in each class on campus. He also created other small projects like a Pandora-style music recommendation engine.
This early experience with building basic software products and experimenting with ideas clearly gave Zuckerberg fundamental coding abilities he would soon put to bigger use.
The Birth Of Facebook
In late 2003, while still a student at Harvard, Zuckerberg started working on the initial idea for what would become Facebook. He had the idea of creating a website for students to share information about themselves and connect with each other.
To bring this idea to reality, Zuckerberg utilized his programming skills to code the first version of Facebook himself in his dorm room. He used skills he had developed in C++, JavaScript, and PHP to build the foundations of the Facebook product during this time.
Zuckerberg maintained his hands-on role coding the majority of Facebook’s software even as the service started expanding to other universities in 2004. He continuously worked to improve and tweak the product, adding new features like the news feed as demand grew.
This hands-on approach to building the initial Facebook product gave Zuckerberg deep knowledge of how the company’s code and infrastructure worked from the ground up.
Continuing To Code As Facebook Scaled
Once Facebook started taking off among more universities and gaining millions of users in 2005-2006, Zuckerberg was no longer able to write all of the code for the site himself. He started relying on hiring teams of engineers to assist with developing features and maintaining the growing codebase.
However, even as Facebook scaled rapidly and began hiring thousands of employees, Zuckerberg did not retreat fully from hands-on coding and product development.
He continued setting aside time, at least once a week, to contribute directly to Facebook’s codebase and review new updates. He kept this habit up for many years as the company grew.
There were a few main reasons Zuckerberg prioritized continuing to code as Facebook expanded:
- Coding helped him think deeply about improving products and avoiding stagnation. By engaging directly with code, he could better visualize new opportunities.
- Reviewing code changes and new features allowed Zuckerberg to provide technical guidance and feedback based on his early experience building Facebook.
- Coding fostered camaraderie and respect between Zuckerberg and Facebook’s engineering teams. Engineers appreciated his hands-on approach and insights.
- Contributing code helped Zuckerberg lead product development teams more effectively and know strengths and weaknesses.
By dedicating time regularly to coding tasks, even as CEO, Zuckerberg ensured he stayed closely connected to Facebook’s product and technical operations.
Zuckerberg’s Coding Role As Facebook Became Meta
In October 2021, Facebook went through a major rebranding and corporate restructuring to form the new parent company Meta. This reflected the company’s expanded focus on developing new technologies like augmented and virtual reality.
With this fundamental shift to Meta, some speculated whether Zuckerberg would retain his hands-on coding approach as CEO or step back to focus just on broader strategy.
However, Zuckerberg made it clear that he planned to continue coding as part of his responsibilities at Meta. He emphasized how staying involved directly with products would be important for making progress on new initiatives like the metaverse.
Some key points Zuckerberg has made about his coding at Meta:
- He still sets aside time to work on code reviews and contribute to code bases across Meta’s products.
- He focuses his coding time mostly on areas of personal interest like metaverse and AI research initiatives.
- Coding helps him evaluate new products and features being built and provide detailed feedback.
- Hands-on development is important for moving fast and iterating on new ideas and technologies.
While no longer writing thousands of lines of code alone like Facebook’s early days, Zuckerberg’s coding allows him to be deeply involved with new Meta innovations.
How Much Time Does Zuckerberg Spend Coding?
Given the demands on his time as CEO of a company with over 87,000 employees, how much time can Zuckerberg realistically dedicate to writing code?
Estimates suggest he likely spends about 1-2 hours coding each week on average. This includes:
- 30-60 minutes in direct coding time – writing/editing code himself.
- 30-60 minutes reviewing code from other developers.
- Occasional multi-hour hackathon sessions focused on coding.
While only a small part of his overall schedule, this weekly coding time allows Zuckerberg to stay updated on Meta’s technical product development in an hands-on manner.
What Languages Does Zuckerberg Code In?
Over his programming career from the early Facebook days until now at Meta, Zuckerberg has utilized a variety of different coding languages and frameworks. Some of the main ones have included:
- C++ – One of the first languages Zuckerberg learned. Used for early Facebook desktop apps.
- PHP – Server-side language used to build the first version of Facebook.
- JavaScript – Used for front-end web development on Facebook and Meta’s sites.
- Python – General purpose language sometimes used for Zuckerberg’s coding projects.
- Hack – PHP-based language developed at Facebook focused on speed and efficiency.
Zuckerberg has not specialized in just one language or area. Instead, he has adapted his coding skills over the years to apply to new technologies and products as Meta has evolved.
Notable Products Zuckerberg Has Coded
While no longer writing vast amounts of Facebook or Meta’s code alone, there are still a number of notable products and features Zuckerberg has directly contributed code to over the years:
- Original Facebook website – Coded the first version himself in 2004.
- Facebook News Feed – Helped develop one of Facebook’s most iconic features.
- Facebook Chat – Integrated into the platform in 2008 based on his coding.
- Project Spartan – Zuckerberg coded this Facebook Paper predecessor.
- Aquila drone – Developed algorithms and control code for Meta’s solar-powered internet drone.
- Metaverse – Contributing code related to new VR/AR metaverse initiatives.
Zuckerberg has periodically chosen specific areas of interest to devote his coding time towards based on new technologies and products Meta is developing.
Does Zuckerberg Code Via Live Streams?
In 2016, while doing a public live stream talking about new Facebook features, Zuckerberg surprised viewers by starting to code live on camera. He broadcast himself coding a simple AI bot to showcase Facebook’s developer tools.
This fueled rumors that Zuckerberg commonly codes via live stream as a public demonstration of his technical abilities.
In reality, this 2016 live coding session appears to be a one-off event rather than Zuckerberg’s regular process. Outside of this live stream:
- Zuckerberg mainly codes privately off-camera rather than publicly live coding.
- His coding process is typically focused on actual development work rather than demonstrations.
- He has not made other public live coding sessions part of his regular routine.
The 2016 live stream served its purpose of showing Zuckerberg’s willingness to code hands-on, but his day-to-day process does not seem to involve coding live in front of an audience.
Does Zuckerberg Code Via Live Streams Often?
No, outside of his one-off public live coding session in 2016, Zuckerberg does not appear to regularly code via live streams.
Key points:
- The 2016 live coding was a unique event intended as a public demonstration.
- Zuckerberg’s typical coding work is done privately off-camera.
- There are no other known instances of him live coding publicly since 2016.
- His approach focuses on productivity over public visibility.
- Live coding does not seem to be a major part of his real coding process.
While an interesting public spectacle, regular public live coding does not fit with Zuckerberg’s focus on tangible results over appearances when it comes to his personal coding habits.
Conclusion
Mark Zuckerberg’s path from Harvard student programmer to CEO of Meta clearly demonstrates the value he sees in continuing to code hands-on, even as his responsibilities have grown immensely since Facebook’s earliest days.
Though he no longer has the time to singlehandedly code Meta’s products from scratch, Zuckerberg’s choice to keep coding reflects his engineering mindset and desire to stay connected to concrete work rather than just high-level strategy. His technical knowledge and firsthand programming experience continues allowing him to make informed decisions on where Meta needs to go next.
Given Meta’s emphasis on developing ambitious new technologies like the metaverse, Zuckerberg’s coding ability likely remains a valuable asset for the company. It enables him to evaluate and guide Meta’s technical roadmap from an engineering perspective. Even with just 1-2 hours of coding per week, he can influence Meta’s direction in powerful ways through his hands-on approach.
Moving forward, Zuckerberg will surely face growing demands on his time as Meta continues expanding. But his long track record of dedicating personal time to coding demonstrates he sees programming as much more than a symbolic act or publicity ploy. Instead, it seems certain that code will remain a core part of Zuckerberg’s approach to leadership, keeping him connected to the technological details underlying Meta’s future.