--- description: Priscilla Chan, who married Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2012, spoke about her work with Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. title: Priscilla Chan Says She and Mark Zuckerberg ‘Drive Each Other’ image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34b49cb196bf210a/6988aa83e20a876c54a92d7b/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Priscilla Chan Says She and Mark Zuckerberg ‘Drive Each Other’  by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 18, 2016 8:33 PM CUT  by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 18, 2016 8:33 PM CUT Priscilla Chan knows a thing or two about [leaning in](http://motto.time.com/4314384/career-success-push-be-pushed/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined"). The 31-year-old pediatrician, who married Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2012, spoke about her philanthropic work with Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer [Sheryl Sandberg](http://motto.time.com/4336546/sheryl-sandberg-university-of-california-berekley-commencement-speech/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") on Tuesday at the [Most Powerful Women Conference](http://motto.time.com/4484053/fortune-most-powerful-women-2016/ "undefined") hosted by _Fortune_ magazine in Laguna Niguel, California. In addition to co-founding the [Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative](https://chanzuckerberg.com/ "undefined"), which focuses on promoting equality in health and education, Chan also serves as the CEO of the Primary School, a Palo Alto K-12 learning institution that aims to improve the lives of underserved children in California’s Bay Area. “This work is incredibly important and personal for me,” Chan said. The Quincy, Massachusetts native grew up as the daughter of Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants who worked 18-hour shifts, and told [the _New Yorker_](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/19/schooled "undefined") that her public school teachers empowered her to apply to Harvard, making Chan the first in her immediate family to attend college. [_Follow Motto on Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/mottoworkplaylive/ "undefined")_._ “You — and I have to remind myself of this — are capable beyond your wildest imagination,” Chan said in response to Sandberg’s question about her advice for young women. “And whatever you want to do, do it now. You’re going to have a village to help you.” Chan shared that she views Supreme Court Justice [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](http://motto.time.com/4383778/ruth-bader-ginsburg-supreme-court-abortion-ruling/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") as her feminist idol and a role model. “She blazed the trail,” Chan said. Sandberg also asked Chan what it’s like to work so closely with her husband. The two share a daughter named Max who will be one in December. “We have a lot to learn from each other. We are complementary. We drive each other, and we challenge each other to think more deeply,” she said. “It can be uncomfortable at times. But it’s so fun.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4535671/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4535671/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women/"},"headline":"Priscilla Chan Says She and Mark Zuckerberg ‘Drive Each Other’","datePublished":"2016-10-18T20:33:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:57:05.242Z","description":"'We have a lot to learn'","url":"https://time.com/4535671/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34b49cb196bf210a/6988aa83e20a876c54a92d7b/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Cooney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34b49cb196bf210a/6988aa83e20a876c54a92d7b/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mark Zuckerberg Awarded With Axel Springer Award In Berlin","caption":"Mark Zuckerberg Awarded With Axel Springer Award In Berlin","creditText":"Adam Berry—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4535671/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women/","name":"Priscilla Chan Says She and Mark Zuckerberg ‘Drive Each Other’"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"'We have a lot to learn'","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4535671/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4535671/priscilla-chan-most-powerful-women/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```