World welcomes Zuckerbergs' new baby into the world

 

Mark Zuckerberg posted a letter on Tuesday, 1 December, written by him and his wife Priscilla Chan and addressed to their baby girl Max.

 

In the letter, Zuckerberg and Chan promise that they will donate 99% of their Facebook shares—amounting to around USD 45 billion—to the Chan Zuckerberg Institute, a new charity that they’re establishing “to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation.”

 

As of posting time, the letter has received more than 885,000 likes, more than 143,900 shares, and more than 63,000 comments.

 

Melinda Gates was among the commenters, saying that she and husband Bill Gates couldn’t wait to meet baby Max.

 

“We can be confident of this: Max and every child born today will grow up in a world that is better than the one we know now. As you (Zuckerberg and Chan) say, ‘seeds planted now will grow.’ Your work will bear fruit for many decades to come,” Gates said.

 

Singer Shakira was also among the well-wishers in the comments. “From parents to parents, our most heartfelt congratulations on welcoming Max to the world. She is an immensely fortunate baby to have parents with such dedication and integrity,” she said.

 

Vindu Goel, technology reporter at The New York Times, asked what prompted the couple to donate so much money at this point in their lives.

 

“Two main ideas have led us to start early,” Zuckerberg replied. “First is that we have a lot to learn and giving, like anything else, takes practice to do effectively. So if we want to be good at it in 10-15 years, we should start now. Second is that any good we do will hopefully compound over time. If we can help children get a better education now then they can grow up and help others too in the time we might have otherwise waited to get started.” — Bea Montenegro/TJD, GMA News