Mark Zuckerberg Announces Birth of Daughter; Pledges to Donate 99 Percent of Facebook Shares

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, have welcomed a healthy baby girl. They’ve named her Max.

Zuckerberg made the announcement Tuesday afternoon on his Facebook page.

In a stunning surprise, the couple announced that they will donate 99 percent of their shares of stock in Facebook, currently worth about $45 billion, to promoting a better world.

Here’s his complete announcement:

Priscilla and I are so happy to welcome our daughter Max into this world!

For her birth, we wrote a letter to her about the world we hope she grows up in.

It’s a world where our generation can advance human potential and promote equality -- by curing disease, personalizing learning, harnessing clean energy, connecting people, building strong communities, reducing poverty, providing equal rights and spreading understanding across nations.

We are committed to doing our small part to help create this world for all children. We will give 99% of our Facebook shares -- currently about $45 billion -- during our lives to join many others in improving this world for the next generation.

Thank you to everyone in this community for all your love and support during the pregnancy. You’ve given us hope that together we can build this world for Max and all children.

The couple did not share other details about Max’s birth.

--Photo Credit: Mark Zuckerberg via Facebook