Mark Zuckerberg has pledged $50 million to Sacramento State University to fuel state-of-the-art STEM labs and an AI center, reports Fortune. The donation comes after the Meta CEO and his wife Priscilla Chan announced they would shift the majority of the Chan Zuckerberg Institute (CZI) to biomedical AI research late last year. As per the report, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the $50 million donation made by Facebook-parent will help transform three state buildings on Capitol Mall into mixed-use facilities for California State University, Sacramento faculty and students. The donation “[opens] doors for students to succeed and for our communities to prosper,” Newsom said. “Making sure students can actually afford to live where they learn is essential to that work.”Meta’s donation comes amid a shifting corporate and financial landscape in California, where lawmakers are considering a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of billionaires. The proposal has prompted several high-profile business leaders to change their permanent residences outside the state. Among those who have relocated are Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, and Craft Ventures partner David Sacks.

What Mark Zuckerberg said on donations to California

In a statement, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said “This project will create new housing for students and professionals and support state-of-the-art STEM facilities, including a new School of Public Affairs and dedicated AI Center”. “I believe these investments will help strengthen our communities and support the next generation of leaders and innovators,” he added.Mark Zuckerberg’s charity organisation cuts jobsIn a related news, Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation has cut roughly 8% of its workforce, reports Fortune. The job cut, impacting around 70 employees, comes as the company plans to expand its biomedical and science focus through Biohub. The move “underscores how big donors are racing to back science-heavy, tech-centric projects such as peers like the Gates Foundation,” the report said.