Chris Hughes

Tech Entrepreneur

Facebook Co-founder / Social Media Pioneer / Economic Justice Advocate

Born: November 26, 1983 | From: Hickory, North Carolina, U.S.

Entrepreneur Author Activist

Professional Insight: Chris Hughes played a crucial role in Facebook's early development and later became a prominent voice on economic inequality and media reform.

Early Life and Education

1Childhood and Background

Born in North Carolina, Hughes grew up in a middle-class family and attended Phillips Academy.

2Harvard University

Met Mark Zuckerberg and roomed with him at Harvard, where they co-founded Facebook in 2004.

Key Fact: Hughes was Facebook's first spokesperson and helped design the original user interface.

Career Highlights

1Facebook (2004-2007)

Served as spokesperson and led product design during Facebook's crucial early growth period.

2Obama Campaign (2007-2008)

Directed online organizing for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, pioneering social media in politics.

3The New Republic (2012-2016)

Purchased and served as publisher of the influential political magazine.

4Economic Security Project

Co-founded this organization advocating for universal basic income and worker power.

Notable Achievements

1Social Media Pioneer

Helped shape the early social media landscape through Facebook's interface design.

2Author

Wrote "Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn" about economic justice.

3Philanthropy

Signed the Giving Pledge to donate most of his wealth to charitable causes.

Current Focus: Hughes now advocates for breaking up big tech companies and implementing progressive economic policies.

Key Publications

1Fair Shot (2018)

Proposes universal basic income as solution to economic inequality.

2New York Times Op-Eds

Has written influential pieces on tech regulation and economic policy.