Answer by Mike Hughes:
Just because Mark started Facebook doesn’t mean he is a programming prodigy. Mark’s major was Pyschology so he wasn’t at Harvard as a CompSci prodigy. Back in 2004 building a CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) application in PHP/MySQL was fairly easy. I would bet if you had more insight into what people that seem to be amazing are really capable of, you would see that they are normal people with normal skills.
Facebook’s success (like many startups) is largely due to timing, solid product/market fit and a bit of luck. Those same rules apply to successful startups today, any of which could potentially be as big as Facebook. Where Mark made the right decision was surrounding himself with smart and talented people.
Long story short, if you want to get better at anything, hang around with the right people and work hard.
How did Mark Zuckerberg train himself to be a programming prodigy?