Zuckerberg: *The Social Network* Captured My Mannerisms, But Not My Life

Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that the 2010 movie The Social Network got his trademark clothing style exactly right, revealing that every shirt and fleece jacket shown in the Oscar-winning film actually came from his own closet. During a talk at Stanford University's Startup School in 2010, not long after the movie premiered, the Meta CEO commended the filmmakers for their careful effort in recreating his Harvard-era look. This included laid-back T-shirts, fleece jackets from brands such as The North Face, and Adidas slides, all of which were worn by Jesse Eisenberg in key scenes.

The film’s costume designer, Jacqueline West, and director David Fincher reportedly consulted a Harvard student who knew Zuckerberg at the time to ensure the wardrobe was authentic, .

Although he praised the film’s attention to his clothing, Zuckerberg has consistently objected to how the story portrays his reasons for creating Facebook. The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin presents Zuckerberg as motivated by a need for social acceptance and heartbreak, including a fictional breakup with a character named Erica Albright. In a 2010 interview, Zuckerberg explained that he had already been in a relationship with his now-wife, Priscilla Chan, before Facebook was launched, making the romantic storyline entirely made up. “The entire narrative about my motivations and everything else was just completely off,” he said again during a podcast in March 2025, as reported by AOL.

Zuckerberg’s criticism goes beyond just his own story, extending to how Hollywood generally depicts Silicon Valley. He believes filmmakers have difficulty understanding why someone would build technology simply out of passion for creating. “They just can’t understand that someone might build something because they enjoy the process,” he remarked, highlighting the gap between movie plots and the reality of tech entrepreneurship, according to AOL.

As a nod to the film’s wardrobe accuracy, Zuckerberg recently bought one of the movie’s memorable clothing items: a blue “Ardsley Athletic” T-shirt worn by Eisenberg. He purchased it at auction for $4,095, and wore it during the podcast appearance. Zuckerberg also shared that he brought his entire Facebook team to the film’s premiere, even though he had concerns about its creative liberties, and noted that he has only watched the movie once, AOL reported.

The Social Network continues to be a significant cultural reference, with its mix of real events and dramatization fueling ongoing discussions about the relationship between technology and entertainment. While the film nailed Zuckerberg’s wardrobe, his ongoing objections to its portrayal of his ambitions highlight the persistent divide between Hollywood storytelling and the realities of innovation.