Mark Zuckerberg Speaks Out on Viral Roman Empire Obsession, Jokes About Children’s Names

• Mark Zuckerberg joked about his obsession with the Roman Empire in response to a viral meme.
• The Facebook founder honeymooned in Rome and named two of his daughters after Roman emperors.
• His rival Elon Musk is also a fan and suggested that the cage fight between the two CEOs take place at the Colosseum.

Mark Zuckerberg joked that he’s “not sure” how often he thinks about the Roman Empire, even though he names his daughters after Roman emperors.

“I don’t know if I think too much about the Roman Empire,” says Meta’s CEO. posted on discussions. “I wonder what my daughters Maxima, August and Aurelia think.”

The joke was an apparent reference to a recent Internet meme about men’s apparent obsession with ancient Rome.

The founder of Facebook has indeed a long-standing interest in the Roman Empire. His eldest daughter Maxima’s name is a play on the Latin name Maximus, while August and Aurelia refer to the Roman emperors Augustus and Marcus Aurelius.

Zuckerberg spoke at length about his fascination with Augustusthe first Roman emperor who was a ruthless, power-hungry ruler famous for crushing rivals and eroding democracy.

In a profile for the New Yorker, Zuckerberg praised Augustus for securing 200 years of world peace, even though it required a “tough approach” that included brutal repression and violence. He also joked that the Roman emperor had upstaged his honeymoon in Rome.

“My wife used to make fun of me, saying she thought there were three people on their honeymoon: me, her and Augustus,” he told the New Yorker. “All the photos were different sculptures of Augustus.”

Zuckerberg isn’t the only tech CEO who can’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire. His rival and potential cage match opponent, Elon Musk, also said he thinks about the ancient, collapsed civilization “every day” in an article on X.

The musk itself suggested the Colosseum as a possible venue for the cage match between the two CEOs, although that fight now seems unlikely after Zuckerberg claimed the Tesla boss was “not serious” about the confrontation.