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Zoë Bernard
2018-03-12T21:46:35Z
Randi Zuckerberg has authored four books, started her own media company, run multiple television shows, and performed on Broadway. She might even be eyeing her own talk show.
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The eldest Zuckerberg has long been a vivacious personality in Silicon Valley, where she's lampooned the tech industry's hermetic culture and spoken out against the detriments of social media. But she is the first to admit that her career has long been overshadowed by that of her younger brother, Mark, who is the founder and CEO of Facebook.
“Every article written about me now refers to me as Randi Zuckerberg, Mark’s sister,” she once told the New York Times. “Maybe one day that won’t be what people say about me.”
Randi's career began as one of the first Facebook employees, but since leaving the company after a colorful six-year stint, she's forged her own path. And she's never hesitated to express her opinions regarding Facebook's shortcomings either.
Here's a glimpse into the life of Randi, the other Zuckerberg:
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In 1999, Randi Zuckerberg began studying psychology at Harvard. She said she originally hoped to join the university's music department, but was turned down.
Source: New York Times
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In 2002, Randi's younger brother, Mark, joined her at Harvard. While Randi graduated in 2003, Mark famously dropped out.
Of their time spent together at Harvard, Randi once told the New York Times, "[We] hung out a lot ... [we were] as close as a brother and sister could be."
Source: New York Times
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After graduating, Randi moved to New York where she joined 'Forbes on Fox' as a production assistant for $32,000 a year.
Source: New York Times
In a 2011 interview with The New York Times, Randi said that Mark expressed concern to their mother that his older sister was in a "dead-end career."
Source: New York Times
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And so, Mark bought his sister a plane ticket to visit Facebook's office. "I think you’ll like it," he told her at the time.
Source: New York Times
Mark was right. At the end of her visit, Mark handed his sister a piece of paper with two lines: a salary, and stock options. Randi agreed to the offer, joining Facebook as a marketing manager.
Source: New York Times
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Despite working at one of the most prominent companies in Silicon Valley, Randi pushed back against Palo Alto's staid culture.
In 2007, she posted a video of herself online singing a satirical ballad called 'Valleyfreude," which poked fun at companies like Zynga, Microsoft, and Yahoo.
Source: Huffington Post
But Randi's antics weren't always well-received. In 2007, her expansive personality clashed with online viewers when she posted a video of herself in a pink boa singing a song called "Chapel of Love."
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Mark, too, expressed displeasure after Randi openly discussed Facebook's poor reception at the Republican National Convention in 2009. “Mark was not happy about that," she told the New York Times.
Source: New York Times
Despite successfully spearheading several prominent marketing projects for Facebook, Randi felt that her effusive personality was a poor fit within the company's culture.
Source: New York Times
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In 2011, Randi quit Facebook and returned to New York.
In an essay published to Vogue, Randi wrote: “Everything has a cost, and I found that cost to be a culture that left no room for personal passions. If you weren’t head down, 24/7, focused on your company and driving ruthlessly toward its success, you were considered frivolous."
A year after leaving Facebook, she created the production company Zuckerberg Media, where she currently oversees two television shows and a number of marketing projects.
Source: Zuckerberg Media
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She's also revisited her musical roots in recent years, with a guest appearance in a 2014 production of 'Rock of Ages' on Broadway.
Source: Hello Giggles
Since quitting Facebook, Randi has written multiple books. Along with two children's books, she's published 'Dot Complicated: Untangling our Wired Lives,' a memoir that delves into the influences of social media on society.
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Despite her close connections to the world's most influential media site, Randi has spoken out on multiple occasions regarding the detriments of technology.
"No one ever created anything amazing of value when they were glued to a screen 24 hours a day,” she said at a fundraising luncheon last fall.
Source: Express News
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In addition to her work with Zuckerberg Media, Randi hosts a radio show called "Dot Complicated," where she regularly chats with entrepreneurs and leaders in the tech industry.
The radio show might be groundwork for a forthcoming venture: Randi has long hinted at her desire to host her own talk show.
Source: Dot Complicated
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