Mark Zuckerberg recently revealed that he acquired a t-shirt worn by actor Jesse Eisenberg in the film The Social Network, where Eisenberg portrayed the tech mogul in David Fincher’s 2010 biographical drama. The film explores Facebook’s early days, and this acquisition has drawn significant attention given its connection to the Meta CEO’s origins.
The shirt, emblazoned with “Ardsley Athletics XXL,” was donned by Eisenberg in a pivotal scene where his character, Zuckerberg, meets Eduardo Saverin at a Palo Alto residence during Facebook’s nascent phase in 2004. Coincidentally, Zuckerberg himself attended Ardsley High School before moving on to Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University.
“Yeah, this is his [Jesse Eisenberg] shirt. Well, I guess this is my shirt now but it was his shirt,” Zuckerberg explained during an episode of The Colin and Samir Show podcast. When asked if the actor was aware of this purchase, Zuckerberg smiled and responded, “Now he does.”
According to the Meta CEO, a friend spotted the shirt at an auction and encouraged him to buy it. “One of my friends saw this online at an auction and he was like you have to get this. So I was like all right, yeah, sure, let’s get it,” he mentioned.
The shirt appeared on the Propstore Auction website where it fetched a winning bid of Rs 3.5 lakh ($4,095). This move sparked mixed reactions among fans; some found it cool, while others were less impressed. Comments on social media ranged from playful to critical. “Alright that’s pretty funny,” one user remarked, while another pondered, “He’s become human…never thought I would see the day.” However, some critiqued, “Jesse Eisenberg dislikes this person and what he stands for…maybe you should be yourself more.”
Zuckerberg also shared that he has watched The Social Network only once, describing the experience as “weird” due to its portrayal of his motivations. “They got all of these very specific details, of like what I was wearing, or like these specific things correct, but then the whole narrative arc around my motivations and all the stuff were completely wrong,” he stated. The acquisition not only adds an interesting piece to Zuckerberg’s collection but also connects his real-life persona with the film’s dramatized narrative.
