Even Mark Zuckerberg Is Not Immune to His Own Advertising Algorithm

Sometimes the student becomes the master, and sometimes the algorithm gets the better of its creator.

Mark Zuckerberg recently revealed that he’s just as susceptible as the rest of us to Instagram’s targeted ads, which seem to get better every year at recommending the right products at the exact moment you’re open to buying them.

“I spend so much time in Instagram ads curating my closet. Most of what I wear — this, this, these shoes, definitely,” Zuckerberg said in a recent interview with Drip, a popular Instagram fashion account.

The Meta CEO said that essentially, his entire outfit — a black, long-sleeved, collared shirt; fitted blue pants; and white and grey sneakers with orange accents — was purchased through Instagram ads.

Zuckerberg said he wears a lot of Mike Amiri, with whom the billionaire has partnered in the past on custom tees, as well as John Elliott. He also name-dropped the shoes he was wearing in the video as the Swedish brand Axel Arigato, adding that what he wears is “a lot of Instagram advertising that got me.” The shoes appear to be the brand’s Genesis Neo Runner, which retail for $310.

Zuckerberg has undergone a much-talked-about style evolution in recent years, complete with gold chains and hype-beast t-shirts. The billionaire told Drip that he started paying more attention to his personal style during the pandemic. “I used to just wear the same thing every day,” he said, adding, “During COVID, I was just like, ‘We gotta have some fun and get some variation.'”

In addition to outfitting its CEO, Instagram ads also make big money for Meta. Instagram generated over $32 billion in advertising revenue in 2024, according to data from EMARKETER. Meta’s total revenue in 2024 was $164.5 billion. In 2021, Instagram ads accounted for 27% of Meta’s total revenue, court filings revealed last year.

“It is a newer way to shop online, which is more about what the algorithm feels you’ll like,” said Amanda Massi, a luxury personal stylist based in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, adding, “Now social media is a digital mall.”

Massi told Business Insider that while her high-net-worth clients don’t typically shop via Instagram (“They want exclusivity,” she said), it’s becoming increasingly popular with younger generations.

Zuckerberg, whose estimated net worth is $256 billion, has not said if he has a personal stylist or not. But if he does, Massi said his Instagram shopping habit would be in addition to the shopping a stylist would do for him. Her clients will occasionally send her something they’ve found on their own, just to run it by her before making a purchase.

“I feel like Mark saying that he cares about shopping is a huge moment. That he’s even acknowledging fashion at all is great,” Massi said, adding that namedropping brands like Zuckerberg did is a bit of a change for the tech world, and that a lot of the men in tech she’s worked with have kept her a secret.

Instagram ads can be good for ideas, but be mindful

Massi said that for the average consumer, Instagram ads can be a good way to discover new brands. “It’s a very authentic and personalized approach as compared to traditional advertising,” she said.

Charline Zeroual, a sustainable wardrobe stylist based in Los Angeles, said that while some people may find Instagram ads useful for shopping, she generally doesn’t recommend them to her clients.

In her experience, the clients will be scrolling in bed, see something that looks great, and order it without thinking much about how it will actually fit them or how it will work with the rest of their wardrobe.

“When it comes to shopping, it has to be intentional and thoughtful,” she said. “I feel like buying from Instagram is not thoughtful. It’s compulsive.”

That being said, she said buying from Instagram could make sense for certain people, especially those who really know their sense of style and what looks good on them. She said for tech guys like Zuckerberg, who tend to be relatively slender and dress in something of a uniform — black shirt, dark jeans, white shoes — it would likely be easier.

In the interview with Drip, Zuckerberg said that most of his shirts these days are black or white, but noted that he had gone through a “gray T-shirt phase.”

Zeroual also noted the brands Zuckerberg named are high-end — jeans from Amiri could set you back $1,200 — and she doubts most people are making those bigger purchases on Instagram. They might use Instagram to discover a designer’s new collection, but they’re likely to buy directly at that price point.

“Like buying a pair of Chanel flats directly from Instagram? Uh-uh,” she said. “You’re going to go to Chanel or you’re going to go to Saks or Neiman Marcus.”

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