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Mark Zuckerberg

10/25/13

@ Y Combinator

We chose to launch Facebook at schools with existing social networks to ensure our product was superior, which would justify the time and effort invested in its development.

Video

Mark Zuckerberg at Startup School 2012

@ Y Combinator

Mark Zuckerberg at Startup School 2012

10/25/13

Related Takeaways

Mark Zuckerberg

10/25/13

@ Y Combinator

Even if a university had built a social network, Facebook's ability to allow users to share more content and connect in meaningful ways would have set it apart and driven its success.

Nirav Patel

05/20/25

@ EO

In the early years at Facebook, we should have focused on iteration speed rather than building a large team and a polished product.

Mark Zuckerberg

08/17/16

@ Y Combinator

Facebook's success stemmed from our commitment to keep improving the platform based on user demand, which was different from my previous projects.

Mark Zuckerberg

10/25/13

@ Y Combinator

The first server for Facebook cost $85, and we operated on a philosophy of not spending money we didn't have, which constrained our growth but allowed us to focus on product quality.

Mark Zuckerberg

10/25/13

@ Y Combinator

I initially built Facebook for myself as a college student, but I quickly realized its potential to serve a broader audience beyond just my university.

Michael Seibel

02/17/22

@ Y Combinator

In the early days of Facebook, they scaled by creating separate database instances for each school, allowing them to manage growth without overwhelming a single database.

Mark Zuckerberg

08/17/16

@ Y Combinator

I created Facebook because my friends and I wanted a way to connect with others at Harvard, not because I thought it would become a company.

Mark Zuckerberg

10/25/13

@ Y Combinator

Facebook's growth was initially slow, taking a year to reach a million users, but this time allowed us to refine the product and ensure it met user needs effectively.

Y Combinator Cast

09/18/18

@ Y Combinator

We had to instruct our team that any new game should not launch on Facebook, as we needed to find revenue sources elsewhere.