The film serves to represent the journey Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) undertook in relation to the formation of Facebook. Facebook as it is known today is a social media network used by millions of people worldwide. The film’s opening scene occurs in a gloomy pub, here the audience watch Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) essentially break up with Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). Throughout this conflict it can be noted that Zuckerberg appears to be limited in terms of his ability to interact socially. This break-up brings out the worst in Zuckerberg as that very night it led him to create a platform where Harvard students can decide on the attractiveness of female students, thus rating them. To do this he makes use of an algorithm created to rank chess players, given to him by his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Ultimately FaceMash.com is created.
The traffic to this site results in Harvard’s system crashing. Zuckerberg is then punished to six months of academic probation. The interest in FaceMash draws the attention of twins, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) as well as their business partner Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) Zuckerberg's then given the task of programming The Harvard Connection. Shortly after, Zuckerberg informs Saverin of his idea for the social networking platform 'TheFacebook'. Saverin decides to assist Zuckerberg, providing $1,000 to start the site. When the site is complete, they forward the link to Saverin’s connections at the Phoenix S-K final club. TheFacebook is soon a hit amongst the student body. The Winklevoss twins and Narendra soon believe that Zuckerberg took their idea whilst at the same time stalling programming on the Harvard Connection.
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Following a lecture by Bill Gates (Steve Sires), Zuckerberg later encounters his former girlfriend, Erica. Erica does not know anything about TheFacebook as she is not a Harvard student. This hurts Zuckerberg, with this, he decides to expand TheFacebook to other schools.
By 2004, TheFacebook expands to other schools in the Northeastern United States, while the Winklevoss twins and Narendra become even more distressed at watching what they believe to be their idea progress. Once again however, they decide not to sue Zuckerberg.
Through Saverin’s girlfriend, Saverin and Zuckerberg are granted a meeting with the Napster co-founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Saverin is notably apprehensive towards Parker whilst Zuckerberg is inspired. No deals are created in the meeting, however Parker proposes that 'The' is removed from TheFacebook. This making it simply, Facebook. Zuckerberg then moves Facebook’s headquarters to Palo Alto, California at Parker's proposition. Saverin stays in New York whilst seeking advertising assistance. When Saverin visits Palo Alto, he is upset to see Parker is living in the house he is paying for as well as making business decisions for Facebook. Saverin then freezes Facebook’s bank accounts and returns back to New York. Back in New York, Zuckerberg informs Saverin over a phone call that Facebook has secured funds from an angel investor.
While competing at the Henley Royal Regatta, the Winklevoss twins become angered to see that Facebook has expanded to a number of universities in England. Here, the decision is reached to sue Zuckerberg. Saverin soon figures out that the deal he signed with Parker's investors permits them to dilute his share in Facebook from a third to less than one tenth of one percent, whilst the share percentage for all other parties remains the same. At the new his new Facebook office in downtown Los Angeles, Saverin confronts Zuckerberg and informs him that he wants to sue him.
Later that same night, Parker, along with a few Facebook interns are arrested for possession of cocaine during a party celebrating Facebook’s millionth user. In the film it is indicated that Zuckerberg tipped off the police to raid the venue of the party, the film further suggests that Zuckerberg had someone plant the drugs.
In the final scene, a lawyer for the defense notifies Zuckerberg that he will be settling with setting with Saverin, considering that Zuckerberg’s position is one that is highly unsympathetic to a jury. The film ends with Zuckerberg sending a Facebook friend request to Erica, a response does not come. On-screen text state that the Winklevoss twins received a settlement of $65 million and signed a non-disclosure agreement. Text also states how Saverin received an unknown settlement and had his name put back on the masthead as Facebook's co-founder. The film ends with text announcing Mark Zuckerberg as the youngest self-made billionaire in the world.