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Facebook billionaire still needs work to do
Source: Agencies |
May 1, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FACEBOOK co-founder and former Mark Zuckerberg roommate Dustin Moskovitz is by many accounts the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
But the 27-year-old isn't sitting on a beach in the Caribbean sipping champagne.
Instead he's thrown himself back into San Francisco's startup mix, even as Facebook's looming IPO seems likely to send his wealth spiraling even higher.
Moskovitz and his friend Justin Rosenstein, another former Facebooker who is worth US$150 million, head a company called Asana, which has just launched the first paid version of its online project management service.
During a recent interview at their inconspicuous Mission District offices, the pair said they come to work every day because, their fortunes already made, they still have to do something with their lives.
"When we think of work, we think of work as an act of service, as an act of love for humanity," said Rosenstein, 28.
Moskovitz added: "If we were just retired, we wouldn't be serving anyone."
The pair do not have separate offices but sit among the other employees at Asana, 24 in all.
They dress down, Moskovitz in an untucked shirt, Rosenstein in a sweater and sneakers.
What sets them apart, they acknowledge, is their absolute freedom to pursue their particular vision of how to change the world. And they seem to have no doubt that their software will do just that.
Asana will speed human progress by changing the way people work together, Rosenstein said. Too much time at work is spent doing "work about work," Moskovitz said. They say Asana will free people up to do more important things.
"We could go work on curing cancer. We could go work on building spaceships. We could go work on art projects," Rosenstein said. "What's fun about working at Asana is we get to work on all of them at the same time."
Moskovitz has signed a pledge initiated by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to give away most of his money. His wife runs his philanthropic foundation, which is still getting off the ground.
For now, he said he's focused "110 percent" on Asana. To hear Moskovitz tell it, the choice of coming to the office doesn't come at the expense of some wished-for life of luxury.
"It feels very much like a default. Of course you do that," Moskovitz said. "We're fortunate not to have things that would distract us from being able to act."
But the 27-year-old isn't sitting on a beach in the Caribbean sipping champagne.
Instead he's thrown himself back into San Francisco's startup mix, even as Facebook's looming IPO seems likely to send his wealth spiraling even higher.
Moskovitz and his friend Justin Rosenstein, another former Facebooker who is worth US$150 million, head a company called Asana, which has just launched the first paid version of its online project management service.
During a recent interview at their inconspicuous Mission District offices, the pair said they come to work every day because, their fortunes already made, they still have to do something with their lives.
"When we think of work, we think of work as an act of service, as an act of love for humanity," said Rosenstein, 28.
Moskovitz added: "If we were just retired, we wouldn't be serving anyone."
The pair do not have separate offices but sit among the other employees at Asana, 24 in all.
They dress down, Moskovitz in an untucked shirt, Rosenstein in a sweater and sneakers.
What sets them apart, they acknowledge, is their absolute freedom to pursue their particular vision of how to change the world. And they seem to have no doubt that their software will do just that.
Asana will speed human progress by changing the way people work together, Rosenstein said. Too much time at work is spent doing "work about work," Moskovitz said. They say Asana will free people up to do more important things.
"We could go work on curing cancer. We could go work on building spaceships. We could go work on art projects," Rosenstein said. "What's fun about working at Asana is we get to work on all of them at the same time."
Moskovitz has signed a pledge initiated by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to give away most of his money. His wife runs his philanthropic foundation, which is still getting off the ground.
For now, he said he's focused "110 percent" on Asana. To hear Moskovitz tell it, the choice of coming to the office doesn't come at the expense of some wished-for life of luxury.
"It feels very much like a default. Of course you do that," Moskovitz said. "We're fortunate not to have things that would distract us from being able to act."
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