Facebook Zuckerberg Assets Exceed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

Facebook IPO raising $ 11.8 billion funding will also let a company as young as 27-year-old co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg become the world's richest. Once listed, Zuckerberg's net worth will exceed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer immediately.

Facebook submitted the latest documents to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that the company will public 28-35 U.S. dollars on Thursday and issued at a price of about 337.4 million shares. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, if the IPO issue price cap ($ 35) calculation, Zuckerberg held Facebook stock by market value will reach $ 17.6 billion, a result, Zuckerberg will be richer than Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Russian steel magnate Vladimir Lisin. Bloomberg Billionaires Index shows Ballmer worth $ 15.4 billion.

Zuckerberg, 19 years old, with Harvard University classmates in the dorm co-found of Facebook, and build Facebook to the world's most popular social networking sites. At the end of the first quarter of Facebook's users worldwide has exceeded 900 million. General manager of the data provider Discern Analytics Paul Saffo said Zuckerberg has necessary to prove that he has the leadership, led the company to continue to grow to match Facebook's worth.

Saffo said there are many technology rich work fanatical in Silicon Valley. He said, Zuckerberg currently facing challenges – if he can growth rapid with the company? And if he can growth over the company? Because it was necessary to do as a leader.

Beyond MySpace

Zuckerberg as quickly introduce new products become famous. Under his leadership, Facebook is growing not only beyond MySpace, the world's most popular social network, but also withstand a challenge from Google, Twitter and other social networking sites. By attracting third-party developers to develop applications for the Facebook platform, the number of Facebook users has improved dramatically.

Altimeter Group analyst Jeremiah Owyang said this, "Facebook still acting in agile, like a small-scale innovation companies. Facebook's corporate culture and encourage them to even in the case of a leading, still need to innovate.

Facebook's IPO, the highest valuation of the company reached $ 96 billion. Facebook submitted documents show that the company will issue 180 million new shares in the IPO, company executives and investors will sell 157.4 million shares of company stock.

The documents show that Facebook's Zuckerberg sell 3020 shares of company stock in the IPO. Zuckerberg selling of most stocks in its implementation of the stock options granted to the net income taxes paid. In addition, the venture capital firm Accel Partners, the Russian Internet investment company DST and investment bank Goldman Sachs will sell holdings of company stock. In addition, the venture capital firm Elevation Partners, the Russian internet company Mail.ru Group, Microsoft, the professional networking site LinkedIn, and Facebook Board Chairman Reid Hoffman will also sell some holdings.

More than half of the controlling stake

In Facebook’s submission, Zuckerberg will hold about 57% of the voting rights of the company after the IPO completed. In the period of IPO, Zuckerberg has been very patient. Facebook was founded in 2004 at the end of the year the number of users reached 100 million, but Facebook is only open to U.S. college students, Until 2006, Facebook was open to all groups. At the end of 2006, Facebook users reached 12 million.

At the same time of preparation for the IPO, Facebook is still very active in other areas. After been prosecuted by Yahoo due to the patent infringement was in March of this year, Facebook is currently being considered to buy part of the patent from the hands of other companies. Facebook currently planning to spend $ 550 million to buy part of AOL's patent from Microsoft.