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The fabulous life of Facebook millionaire Chamath Palihapitiya

The fabulous life of Facebook millionaire Chamath Palihapitiya

Chamath Palihapitiya was born in Sri Lanka and emigrated to Canada when he was six years old. He started working at AOL in 2001, eventually rising through the ranks to become the head of AIM in 2004.

He really made it big, however, when he joined Facebook to lead the social network's mobile and international user growth initiatives. He became Facebook's longest tenured senior executive and amassed a fortune rumored to be worth $1 billion.

As a child, Palihapitiya dreamed of striking it rich and obsessed over Forbes' Billionaire List. Still, now that he has struck it rich, he's realized he should use wealth "as a bridge to a more meaningful, long-term, largely unrealistic goal that can keep you focused, grounded and helpful to others," he told Business Insider's Eugene Kim.

He recently returned to his home country to meet the new president and cabinet members.

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I had the honor of spending time with Sri Lanka's new President and key cabinet. The country is poised for greatness. pic.twitter.com/marCCuwIv2

That's not to say he doesn't have a bit of fun. He tweeted this photo of his $5,000 on the college football national championships. The Ohio State Buckeyes ended up winning the game.

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https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/553416347313393664
My form of donating to charity: All my winnings will be donated to CoachArt. Let's go Ducks! Cc @CoachArtOrg pic.twitter.com/h5mVUeKjmH

He was also in Las Vegas to place a big bet on the Super Bowl.

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Wow - I never start a Super Bowl this hot... pic.twitter.com/WykFN4Do9y

And he does like to travel in style.

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https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/372500193020633088
This (my initials on the pillow) more than anything else makes me 100% loyal to The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills pic.twitter.com/WtDJ1shTv7

Palihapitiya hosts one of Silicon Valley's most popular poker games at his home in Palo Alto. "It was meant to basically put together 9 or 10 of the most competitive people in Silicon Valley and play poker," Palihapitiya told Business Insider's Eugene Kim. Yammer founder David Sacks, Inside.com's Jason Calacanis, and World Series of Poker's Phill Hellmuth are among the regular attendees.

Source: Business Insider

He also tweeted about being the first to order a Renovo Coupe, an electric supercar that will be released later this year. The car will reportedly cost $529,000.

Source: Twitter, The Verge

Palihapitiya fulfilled a childhood dream when he joined the Golden State Warriors' ownership group in 2011.

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https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/600831284085006336
It's go time. pic.twitter.com/jMLDQNVHEC

And now he has his own championship ring.

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https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/611030741682499584
My new opening line in all subsequent meetings:"See this ring? Nice, isn't it?"LOL!!!

Palihapitiya currently serves as the managing partner of the Social+Capital Partnership, a venture fund he founded in 2011. The firm has invested in Slack, Wealthfront, Hinge, and Bustle, just to name a few.

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