Zuckerberg was once known for sticking to a drab wardrobe of T-shirts, jeans, hoodies and trainers so that he could save his crucial decision-making powers for more important situations
Recently, he’s showed off an evolving personal style, from a shearling coat in Japan to a bedazzled suit at the Ambani wedding – plus he rocked a bold chain and slogan tee to party with Bill Gates

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is known more for his accomplishments – and feuds – in the tech industry than his personal style, but it looks like the billionaire is finally taking steps – albeit small ones – toward making a mark on fashion.
We all know how Zuckerberg – who’s now worth US$179 billion, per Forbes – burst onto the world scene as the young coding prodigy responsible for Facebook. Despite the world’s eyes on him, the Harvard bro stayed comfortable in a laid-back nerd uniform that consisted mostly of grey T-shirts.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg shows off a 90s rapper-inspired look of a chain and slogan T-shirt at his 40th birthday party alongside Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Photo: @Zuck/Instagram

Today, as a 40-year-old father and the head of a tech company that has expanded far beyond friend requests and pokes, Zuckerberg’s look is again a topic of conversation.

In April, he debuted a chain necklace with his outfits, and the internet ate it up. Zuckerberg got the meme treatment and comments from his nearly 14 million followers complimenting him on his “drip”, or style.

Is Mark Zuckerberg learning to dress for the occasion? The tech billionaire, pictured alongside Bill Gates, wore a jungle-themed shirt at a pre-wedding ceremony for Anant Ambani’s wedding to Radhika Merchant; the ceremony was held at an animal reserve in Jamnagar, India. Photo: AP

From lavish weddings to a big birthday bash in May, his Instagram photos seem a little like those of an influencer.

How on earth did we get here? Let’s look back at Zuckerberg’s style over the years.

Zuckerberg’s style as Facebook took off was pretty normal for a 20-something in the early aughts

Student style: Mark Zuckerberg was still wearing his Harvard-era hoodie, T-shirt and jeans at the Crunchies Internet Awards in 2008. Photo: AFP Photo

He dropped out of Harvard University to work on Facebook full time in 2005, but his look at the time remained that of a college student heading to class.

The subdued outfits didn’t really match the feisty attitude Zuckerberg had during the early days of Facebook. He infamously carried business cards that read “I’m CEO, b****.”

To be fair, he helped shape the tech industry’s casual dress code

Tech trendsetter: Mark Zuckerberg wore a trademark black hoodie while giving the keynote address at Facebook’s F8 developer conference in San Francisco in 2010. Photo: Getty Images

Eventually, Zuckerberg became known for his grey T-shirts and hoodies.

The jeans might have ranged from light to dark washes, but he almost always paired them with a hoodie and a comfortable pair of trainers.

“I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community,” Zuckerberg said in a 2014 Q&A. “I feel like I’m not doing my job if I spend any of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous about my life.”

Zuckerberg then spent years wearing essentially the same outfit everyday

Time Magazine named Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year in 2010 – but it probably wasn’t for his style. Photo: AP Photo

For over a decade, Zuckerberg wore the same thing over and over.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said during an appearance on The Colin and Samir Show that Zuckerberg spent many years “not wasting any energy on deciding what to wear”.

Mark Zuckerberg kept it classic and casual in 2014 when he spoke to students at California’s Sequoia High School in 2014. Photo: AP Photo

“First day back after paternity leave. What should I wear?” Zuckerberg captioned a Facebook post that showed a rack full of the same grey shirts and dark grey hoodies in 2016.

As the years passed, Zuck found ways to elevate the “tech bro” uniform

For his keynote speech at the Facebook’s F8 developer’s conference in 2018, Mark Zuckerberg shook up his look, opting for a blue sweater instead of his trademark hoodie. Photo: AP Photo

Around 2018, Zuckerberg’s style shifted, perhaps with his fashion meant to reflect his increasing wealth. According to Forbes, he was worth about US$71 billion that year.

Instead of a basic shirt and hoodie, the Meta CEO started wearing expensive-looking cashmere sweaters and paired them with better-fitting jeans.

More recently, it appears he’s gotten more comfortable with switching up his clothing choices

While walking with former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg at the 2021 Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Mark Zuckerberg ditched his signature jeans for bright yellow shorts – he couldn’t leave the hoodie. Photo: AFP

The pandemic blurred the lines of what exactly makes an outfit appropriate for work.

Returning to the office post-lockdown has spurred a new conversation about dress code, but when you’re the boss, those rules are likely a bit looser.

He appears to take more style risks when he’s travelling abroad

While visiting Japan earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg showed off his new sense of style by swapping his favourite hoodie for a shearling coat. In a McDonald’s. Photo: @Zuck/Instagram

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, took a trip to Japan in February, and his holiday attire made major waves.

Months before his chain went viral, the shearling jacket he wore while on holiday caught the public’s attention. Again, his outfit included a neutral top, fitted jeans, and a pair of trainers – this time white Nike shoes.

Ready to switch things up? While in Japan, Mark Zuckerberg traded coats with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, trying on the tech mogul’s leather jacket for size. Photo: @zuck/Instagram

The new jacket, a departure from his old hoodies, made for an iconic “jersey swap” picture, with Zuckerberg trading tops with another iconic figure in tech, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Occasionally, he swaps his casual clothes for a classy suit

Opting to upgrade his jeans and hoodie, Mark Zuckerberg wore an embellished black suit – that matched wife Priscilla Chan’s black-and-gold dress – to one of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding ceremonies. Photo: @priscillachan/Instagram

Some events call for more formal dress, and Zuckerberg isn’t too proud to abide by a dress code.

For court appearances, luxurious weddings and fancy ceremonies, he typically pulls out a classic black suit.
But for the March pre-wedding celebrations for members of India’s richest family, the Ambanis, Zuckerberg and Chan wore all black, embellished with gold accents. He had a dragonfly on his lapel.

In 2024, Zuckerberg is going viral every few weeks with his new look

Fashionable throwback? For his 40th birthday party, Mark Zuckerberg went full 90s rapper in a chain and slogan T-shirt over jeans and trainers. Photo: @Zuck/Instagram

The outfit he wore to his 40th birthday party in May cemented Zuckerberg’s new era in fashion. He wore a gold chain and a black T-shirt, but unlike his past shirt choices, this one had a message.

The top read “Carthago delenda est”, a Latin phrase which translates to “Carthage must be destroyed”, and is famously attributed to Roman historian Cato the Elder. It was a rallying cry within Facebook in 2016 when the company was competing with Google.

He also previously explained that the new chains are a part of his “process” of designing a “long-term” chain engraved with a prayer he reads to his daughters.