Sophie Bennett
In 2010's The Social Network, a movie based on the creation of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg's friend Eduardo Saverin is accused of animal cruelty in an article published in the Harvard Crimson. In the film, Saverin is taking care of a chicken as part of his initiation into the Phoenix club and is accused of feeding a chicken to a chicken. While there was an article published in the Harvard Crimson about the Phoenix club and chickens, it was about claims that the club tortured and killed chickens, not chicken cannibalism, and did not mention Saverin. There is speculation as to whether Zuckerberg planted the story, but there is no definitive answer. In 2020, it was reported that Zuckerberg only eats meat that he kills himself, including chicken, and that this was his annual challenge. In 2024, Zuckerberg posted a video of himself leg-pressing a box of chicken nuggets. So, while there is a picture of Mark Zuckerberg holding a chicken (or chicken nuggets), it is not clear if the story about chicken cannibalism in The Social Network is true.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is there a picture of Mark Zuckerberg holding a chicken? | No |
| Is there a picture of Mark Zuckerberg leg-pressing a box of chicken nuggets? | Yes |
| Is the chicken story in the movie "The Social Network" real? | No |
| Did Mark Zuckerberg kill a chicken in real life? | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
The chicken story in the film 'The Social Network'
The 2010 film The Social Network explores the founding of Facebook and the lawsuits that followed, offering a dramatized account of the website's creation and the obstacles faced by its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. One of the film's subplots revolves around the character of Eduardo Saverin, Mark Zuckerberg's friend and collaborator, and his initiation into a prestigious Harvard club called the Phoenix Club.
In the film, Eduardo is trying to get into a fraternity and, as a test, is tasked with looking after a live chicken. The Harvard Crimson, the university's newspaper, publishes a story alleging that Eduardo fed the chicken poultry meat, which was seen as forced cannibalism and a sign of animal cruelty. This incident causes controversy and creates a wedge between Mark and Eduardo, with Eduardo beginning to suspect that Mark leaked the story out of jealousy.
At the end of the movie, Eduardo accuses Mark of planting the story, but Mark denies it. There is no definitive answer provided in the film, and it is left open to interpretation. Some viewers believe that Mark did plant the story, citing his jealousy and the deterioration of their friendship as evidence. Others argue that Eduardo's quick accusation of Mark says more about their fractured relationship and Eduardo's negative perception of Mark.
It is important to note that while the Phoenix Club and the chicken incident are based on real elements, the film takes creative liberties with the details. In reality, there was a story published in 2003 by The Harvard Crimson that questioned the Phoenix Club's treatment of chickens, but it did not involve cannibalism or Eduardo Saverin. Additionally, Saverin himself commented on the film, stating, "That's Hollywood fantasy, not a documentary."
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Zuckerberg's character in 'The Social Network'
In the 2010 film The Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg is portrayed as a Harvard University law student who creates a social networking platform that would later become Facebook. The film depicts Zuckerberg as a brilliant entrepreneur who achieves success and becomes a billionaire but is unable to find happiness. Zuckerberg is shown to be friendly but not particularly close to his roommates, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, with his only strong friendship being with Eduardo Saverin, who is also a co-founder of the website.
The film takes creative liberties with the facts, and one of the most talked-about scenes involves Eduardo Saverin being accused of animal cruelty for feeding a chicken to another chicken while taking care of it for his initiation into the Phoenix Club. In reality, the Harvard Crimson article was about claims that the club tortured and killed chickens, and there was no mention of Saverin. The film also portrays Zuckerberg's casual exploitation of women, including a scene where he creates a website called Facemash.com that features a montage of hot girls being shipped to a party at an exclusive club.
The Social Network explores the effects of technology on empathy and dramatizes the dispute between Zuckerberg and Saverin. It is based on the nonfiction novel The Accidental Billionaire by Ben Mezrich and takes some creative liberties with the facts to add dramatic effect. For example, the character of Erica Albright, who breaks up with Zuckerberg in the film's opening scene, does not exist. Additionally, the film does not include an infamous part of the Zuckerberg origin story: an instant message exchange in which the founder brags about the data Harvard students shared with him.
While the film takes some creative liberties, it also gets some things right. For example, Zuckerberg did focus on his company rather than his studies and dropped out of Harvard during his sophomore year. He also did attend a meeting in pajamas, as a prank that Sean Parker convinced him to play on a venture capitalist firm.
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Zuckerberg's relationship with Eduardo Saverin
It is difficult to ascertain the veracity of the image in question. However, the story of Mark Zuckerberg and a chicken appears to be based on an article published in the Harvard Crimson. The article alleged that members of the Phoenix Club, of which Eduardo Saverin was a member, tortured and killed chickens. There is no mention of Saverin in the article, and it made no reference to chicken cannibalism.
Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg met at Harvard University. Saverin, a junior at the time, was a resident of Eliot House, a member of the Phoenix S.K. Club, and president of the Harvard Investment Association. Zuckerberg, a sophomore, approached Saverin to be his first business partner for his new company, Facebook, as Saverin gave the impression of knowing about business. Each agreed to invest $1,000 in the site, later investing another $18,000 each. Saverin was the chief financial officer and business manager of Facebook. However, in 2005, Zuckerberg diluted Saverin's stake in the company and removed him. This incident led to a lawsuit filed by Saverin, which was settled out of court in 2009. Saverin's title as co-founder of Facebook was affirmed, and he signed a non-disclosure contract.
Zuckerberg and Saverin's relationship appears to have been strained due to their business dealings. In instant messages, Zuckerberg referred to Saverin as paying for his servers and hinted at using dirty tricks to get funding without Saverin's approval. Saverin accused Zuckerberg of spending Facebook's money on personal expenses, and their falling out was portrayed in the film "The Social Network." Despite their differences, both men have found success in their ventures. Saverin co-founded the venture capital firm B Capital and has invested in various startups, becoming the wealthiest person in Singapore as of June 2025.
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Zuckerberg's views on meat-eating
In 2011, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, announced that he would only eat meat that he had slaughtered himself. Zuckerberg explained that this was his annual personal challenge, and he wanted to be thankful for the food he had to eat. He said:
> I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself.
Zuckerberg's decision to slaughter his own meat came after he met a chef called Jesse Cool, who introduced him to local farmers who taught him how to kill his first chicken, pig, and goat. Zuckerberg's high-profile decision sparked interest and debate around the sensitive subject of meat-eating and raised questions about sustainability and ethics.
In popular culture, Zuckerberg's relationship with meat has been portrayed in the 2010 film "The Social Network." In the movie, Zuckerberg's friend Eduardo is accused of animal cruelty for feeding a chicken to another chicken while taking care of it as part of his initiation into a fraternity. While the movie is largely fictional, it does portray Zuckerberg as intense and jealous, which may have contributed to the perception of his character.
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Zuckerberg's involvement in AI
In April 2025, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, became unhappy with his company's artificial intelligence efforts and decided to ramp up its AI spending and strategy. He initiated a hiring spree, bringing in talent from rival AI firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. He has offered pay packages of up to $300 million over four years, with more than $100 million in total compensation for the first year, to attract top-tier AI researchers and leaders in the field.
Zuckerberg's focus on AI is driven by his ambition to create a superintelligence and develop the next generation of models. He has successfully hired key individuals such as Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, who now serves as Meta's chief AI officer. Wang is joined by Nat Friedman, formerly of GitHub, and they colead the Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Zuckerberg's aggressive recruitment style and high compensation packages have sparked a talent war in the AI industry, with companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon also increasing their investments and offerings to keep up.
Regarding the reference to a chicken, it appears to be related to the 2010 film "The Social Network." In the movie, Mark Zuckerberg's friend, Eduardo Saverin, is accused of animal cruelty during his initiation into a fraternity. Saverin is portrayed as feeding chicken to a chicken, which is not factually accurate according to a WatchMojo article. The article mentions that while there was a Harvard Crimson article about the Phoenix Club and chickens, it focused on claims of chicken torture and killing, not chicken cannibalism, and did not involve Saverin. In the film, Saverin accuses Zuckerberg of planting the story, which is a matter of speculation among viewers.
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