Eleven years ago this week, a 19-year-old named Mark Zuckerberg appeared on CNBC's "Bullseye" to discuss his new, expanding social networking site that had 100,000 users at the time.
The interview raised the question of whether or not "thefacebook.com"—the site's original name— would be "the next big thing."
"When we first launched we were hoping for maybe 400 or 500 people … so who knows where we're going next?" a young Zuckerberg modestly stated when discussing the magnitude of his site. "Maybe we can make something cool."
CNBC's Becky Quick asked Zuckerberg, a college student at the time, the burning question: "What is TheFacebook exactly?"
After explaining the nature of the new "online directory," Facebook's founder described the simple details of connecting via TheFacebook. "You sign on, you make a profile about yourself by answering some questions and entering some information [about yourself]." Among college concentration or major, contact information, instant messaging screen names and general interests, Zuckerberg cited the "most important" aspect of the site as identifying who your friends are.
With over 1.4 billion monthly active Facebook users in 2015, the initially Harvard-exclusive social site has clearly exceeded Zuckerberg's own expectations. In other words, it is safe to say that Zuckerberg has made "something cool."
According to Forbes, Zuckerberg, with a net worth of $33.4 billion, is now the 16th richest person in the world.