Mark Zuckerberg’s father said in a radio interview on Friday that an early exposure to computers inspired his son’s interest in technology, and he encouraged parents to support their children’s strengths and passions with a balance of “work and play.” Zuckerberg said he computerised his offices in 1985. His son Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder and CEO of Facebook, was born in 1984 and was raised in the house where his father’s dental offices are located in Dobbs Ferry, New York, in suburban Westchester.
“My kids all grew up around the office and were all exposed to computers,” said Dr Edward Zuckerberg, a dentist. “There are advantages to being exposed to computers early on. That certainly enriched Mark’s interest in technology.”
He said Mark got a book on programming, but “ultimately his ability to program was self-taught.”
The dentist spoke for an hour on Westchester station WVOX in an interview with Paul Feiner, supervisor of Greenburgh. Dobbs Ferry is a village in the town of Greenburgh.
The dentist said his own computer science background was “limited” — he majored in biology in college — but he said he’s “always been technologically oriented in the office” and “always had the latest high-tech toys,” including an early Atari 800. “It came with a disk for programming,” he said. “I thought Mark might be interested and I imparted that knowledge to him. From there it took off.”
Feiner and a number of callers to the live radio program asked Zuckerberg for advice on parenting.