Is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Dipping His Toes Into Political World?

Tech Geek: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, shown here explaining the company?s new search tool, is starting a group to push for immigration reform. Image by getty images

By Susan Armitage March 27, 2013

Is Mark Zuckerberg starting to dip his toes into the political ocean?

Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg has been making headlines recently for “Lean In,” her new book on women’s leadership. It turns out her boss Zuckerberg has a side project as well: a new advocacy group.

Zuckerberg is forming an organization along with other executives to advocate for immigration reform, Politico reported.

Politico said the group would tap both Democratic and Republican strategists and “would advocate long-term economic issues,” according to its sources.

Zuckerberg’s Harvard roommate, Joe Green, is another tech powerhouse behind the group. He’s a co-founder of the social and community organizing platforms Causes and NationBuilder and is now at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Both Green and Facebook declined to comment, Politico said.

Zuckerberg may have committed as much as $20 million to the nascent organization, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Until recently, Zuckerberg, who grew up in a Reform Jewish home, had been noticeably absent from the political and policy worlds, though he and his wife hosted a fundraiser for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in February. The tech billionaire hasn’t made any donations to candidates and only small contributions to political action groups, the web site said.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO