Mark Zuckerberg may have shed his famously casual, minimalist look of gray T-shirts, hoodies, and jeans for a more statement-making wardrobe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t own a piece of his sartorial history, or lack thereof. On Monday, Julien’s Auctions launched “Spotlight: History and Technology,” featuring a black hoodie once worn by Zuckerberg, along with a handwritten note from the Meta CEO on Facebook stationery. The hoodie, made by Alternative and custom-designed with Facebook’s 2010 mission statement printed on the interior lining, was originally won by a fan, Matt Thompson, who is now auctioning it.
Thompson shared with Business Insider how he acquired the hoodie. Zuckerberg had listed it on Facebook Marketplace in honor of Facebook’s 20th anniversary, allowing users to bid for free. Thompson, thinking little of it at the time, was later surprised when Meta’s communications team reached out to inform him that he had won. The accompanying handwritten note from Zuckerberg reads, “One of my favorite old-school Facebook hoodies. I wore this all the time in the early days. It even has our original mission statement on the inside lining. Enjoy! – Mark Zuckerberg.”
Zuckerberg famously stuck to a uniform wardrobe to eliminate decision fatigue, once explaining in a Q&A video, “I want to clear my life so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community. 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. That way, I can dedicate all of my energy towards just building the best products and services.” It looks like the philosophy worked.
Today, Zuckerberg is the world’s third-richest man, with a net worth of $240 billion, according to Forbes. No wonder he’s decided he’s accomplished enough to swap simplicity for luxury, flaunting bling, owning superyachts, and maintaining a fleet of private jets. After all, if not now, then when? This is especially true since he has pledged to give away most of his fortune under the Giving Pledge initiative.
As for the hoodie, Thompson, an IT director at Huckabay ISD who also teaches and sponsors the school’s esports team, is auctioning it to fund extracurricular programs.
“These extracurricular activities boost attendance,” he said. “They help students improve their lives and grades. The more money we can put into these programs, the better their chances of success.”
The hoodie is estimated to fetch between $1,000 and $2,000, but it seems that whatever Mark Zuckerberg touches turns to gold. As of writing this article, it has a bid of $6,000. The auction closes on February 27 at noon PT.
