Mark Zuckerberg may have just dashed his daughter’s hopes of becoming the next global pop sensation. The Meta founder recently shared that his seven-year-old daughter once expressed her dream of following in Taylor Swift‘s footsteps. However, Zuckerberg was quick to say ‘No,’ hinting that the path to pop stardom might be out of reach for her. Despite this, the tech billionaire revealed himself to be a big Taylor Swift fan, even taking his family to one of her concerts.
Zuckerberg’s candid moment on the podcast
During a September 10 appearance on the “Acquired” podcast, Zuckerberg recounted a touching exchange with his middle daughter, August. The 40-year-old revealed that after attending a Taylor Swift concert, August told him, “You know, dad, I kind of want to be like Taylor Swift when I grow up.” Zuckerberg’s response? A blunt, “But you can’t. That’s not available to you.”
Rather than being discouraged, August took the conversation in stride. “Alright, when I grow up, I want people to want to be like August Chan Zuckerberg,” she replied, to which Zuckerberg enthusiastically responded, “Hell yeah. Hell yeah.”
The Swiftie side of Zuckerberg
While Zuckerberg may have dismissed his daughter’s pop star aspirations, he didn’t hide his admiration for Taylor Swift. In July 2023, he attended Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour in Santa Clara with his wife, Priscilla Chan, and their daughters.
Zuckerberg even posted a photo from the event, proudly sporting friendship bracelets and gemstones on his face with the caption, “Life of a girl dad.” Zuckerberg and Chan are parents to three daughters: Maxima, 8, August, 6, and Aurelia, 13 months. The concert outing further cemented Zuckerberg’s status as a devoted Swift fan, or “Swiftie.”
Zuckerberg vs. Swift: Different worlds, same billionaire status
While Zuckerberg and Swift come from vastly different industries—technology and music—the two share a common trait: billionaire status. Swift has taken the entertainment world by storm, while Zuckerberg built Meta (formerly Facebook) into a tech juggernaut.
However, their public personas diverge sharply when it comes to political engagement. Swift has thrown her support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential race, while Zuckerberg has taken a different stance. Recently, he sent a critical letter to a U.S. House committee, where he condemned the Biden-Harris administration for what he described as pressure on Facebook and Instagram to censor content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zuckerberg acknowledged his company’s role in those decisions but maintained that the government’s pressure was “wrong.”
Despite shutting down his daughter’s pop star dreams, Zuckerberg’s story reveals a playful and affectionate side of the tech titan as a devoted father and Swift fan. Whether or not his daughters follow in Swift’s footsteps, the Meta CEO seems committed to encouraging them to carve out their own paths—just not on the global pop stage.