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---
description: A hoax suggests the Facebook CEO will give away million of dollars to those who share a specific status on Facebook. This isn&#x27;t true.
title: No, Mark Zuckerberg Won&#x27;t Pay You For Changing Your Status
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf11b911658eb2bc/69886fad196cf4d65f038d70/gettyimages-467503096.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf11b911658eb2bc/69886fad196cf4d65f038d70/gettyimages-467503096.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)

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# No, Mark Zuckerberg Won't Give You Millions of Dollars for Changing Your Facebook Status


![Lisa Eadicicco](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta24f1d2424cdf115/69889434cd1bba5a48700c86/lisa-eadicicco1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Lisa Eadicicco](/author/lisa-eadicicco/)


![Lisa Eadicicco](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta24f1d2424cdf115/69889434cd1bba5a48700c86/lisa-eadicicco1.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Lisa Eadicicco


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Dec 28, 2015 3:11 PM CUT

![US-IT-INTERNET-FACEBOOK-MESSENGER](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf11b911658eb2bc/69886fad196cf4d65f038d70/gettyimages-467503096.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the F8 summit in San Francisco, California, on March 25, 2015.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the F8 summit in San Francisco, California, on March 25, 2015.JOSH EDELSON—AFP/Getty Images

![Lisa Eadicicco](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta24f1d2424cdf115/69889434cd1bba5a48700c86/lisa-eadicicco1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Lisa Eadicicco](/author/lisa-eadicicco/)


![Lisa Eadicicco](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta24f1d2424cdf115/69889434cd1bba5a48700c86/lisa-eadicicco1.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Lisa Eadicicco


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Dec 28, 2015 3:11 PM CUT

Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan announced that they would [donate 99% of their Facebook shares](http://time.com/4131752/mark-zuckerberg-priscilla-chan-facebook-shares-max-daughter/ "undefined") to charity.

Since the Zuckerbergs announced this initiative, a chain letter has been circulating Facebook suggesting that the CEO will randomly gift millions of dollars to a select few Facebook users sharing the post. This is a hoax, however. There’s no truth to it. The post, which [Facebook officially debunked](https://www.facebook.com/facebook/posts/10154244454516729 "undefined") on Dec. 9, promises the following:

---

> “”

---

Facebook responded to the hoax to confirm that Zuckerberg has no such plan. “Friends don’t let friends copy and paste memes,” the official Facebook account posted. “While Priscilla and Mark’s pledge to give money to improve the world is real, not everything you read on the internet is, and they’re not giving it away randomly. Be safe out there, sweepstakes seekers.”

Viral scams such as this are relatively common on social networks. In September, for instance, [an elaborate hoax](http://time.com/4053311/facebook-status-privacy-hoax/ "undefined") suggested that changing your Facebook status to a specific block of legalese text would make any content you share on the social network more private. This too turned out to be false.

### This Is What Your Facebook Profile Looked Like Over the Last 11 Years

![The Original Facebook Group Page, 2004.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02ba45064506aa66/698683a8cd804d091ccc987a/facebook-original-profile-2004.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

The Original Facebook Group Page, 2004\. Before people realized how awesome pictures are. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2005.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8bcb135c58e8dfe/698683a8d0b6f2b6a13030d5/facebook-profile-2005-original.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2005\. Back when Facebook looked a little bit like MySpace. Courtesy of Facebook


![Facebook Profile Page Facelift, 2005.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b224527592d2868/698683a955a8591b3ba7f836/facebook-profile-2005-update.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page Facelift, 2005\. The "the" is finally dropped. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2006.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b02664e3ba3aec3/698683a9169ab01653278119/facebook-profile-2006.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2006\. You no longer need to be reminded "this is you" at the top of your profile page. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2007.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03c5eeeaa27cdde6/698683a9cd6848551d09368f/facebook-profile-2007.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2007\. Every profile update still had to begin with "is," forcing you to talk about yourself in the third person. Courtesy of Facebook


![Facebook Profile Page, 2008.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c3feadc3426363b/698683a935ba6f3aa7c00c02/facebook-profile-2008.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2008\. The wall. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2009.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb294977317e5d41b/698683aa13c79fe12f190d65/facebook-profile-2009.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2009\. It only took five years for Facebook to create easy-to-find privacy settings. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2010.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d90120111c02be7/698683aa06f2c107f332dad4/facebook-profile-2010.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2010\. Facebook starts to get pretty. Courtesy of Facebook


![Facebook Profile Page, 2011.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt955f8e317448e4cd/698683abe8524b4f9e6019dc/facebook-profile-2011.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2011\. Zuckerberg realizes that people love pictures, usually of animals. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2012.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee012a983935b68e/698683abcd804d4132cc9887/facebook-profile-2012.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2012\. The timeline allows you (or your parents) to trace your life from birth to death. Courtesy of Facebook

![Facebook Profile Page, 2013-2014.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf700b36711847440/698683abcd804d6357cc988b/facebook-profile-2013.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2013-2014\. Facebook introduced a new app, Paper, on Monday. Courtesy of Facebook


![Facebook Profile Page, 2014-2015. Facebook updated both the newsfeed algorithm and the privacy settings.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8162fb94e45a36f5/69877d8df887dc57a0e89ed5/facebook-alex-fitzpatrick-profile3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Facebook Profile Page, 2014-2015\. Facebook updated both the newsfeed algorithm and the privacy settings. Courtesy of Alex Fitzpatrick/Facebook

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