Mark Zukerberg’s decision to change facebook’s newfeeds did not go down to well for him. The move has cost him $3.3bn, with his personal net worth dropping by 4.4 per cent, it is believed. After Facebook went public with the news feed change on Thursday, the website’s share value dropped by nearly four per cent before US markets opened on Friday. By close of business on Friday Facebook shares were trading at $179.37, down more than 4.4 per cent on Thursday’s price of $187.77.
Forbes has calculated that for Mr Zuckerberg, the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Facebook, this translated into a personal hit of 3.3bn – a 4.4 per cent fall in his personal fortune.
Zuckerberg, 33, who started Facebook in 2004 aged 19, still owns a 17 per stake in the company, which went public in 2012.
He explained his reasons for changing the news feed algorithm in a Facebook post on Thursday, saying he wanted the website to prioritise posts from friends and family over businesses and brands.
Given that Facebook shares were trading at around $127 a this time last year, the company’s value is still up by more than 40 per cent year-on-year, even after this week’s fall.
Despite losing $3.3bn, Mr Zuckerberg is still worth $72.4bn.
