“Causes” Founder’s Facebook Offer and Decline

Joe Green was one of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg’s roommates during the creation of the social networking site. In 2004, Zuckerberg asked Green to drop out of Harvard University and join in the building of Facebook. Green eventually declined Zuckerberg’s offer because the two roommates had been reprimanded by the Ivy League school in the past.

This decision to not join Zuckerberg could now be considered Green’s $400 million mistake. However, after declining to help with Facebook eight years ago, Green is now running a for-profit Facebook application called Causes. Causes is an application and website that allows users to suggest charities, social causes, and political candidates to friends. Causes states its goal is “to empower anyone with a good idea or passion for change to impact the world.” Causes has currently helped raise $50 million for 50,000 charities.

See David Kerley and Kevin Dolak, Causes Founder’s $400M Facebook “Mistake”, ABC, Jan. 31, 2012.

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Attorney at law, Florida Probate Attorney Wills and Estates Law Firm) for bringing this to my attention.