Mark Zuckerberg Is Every Bit The Doting Dad In Adorable New Photo

Mark Zuckerberg has been showing his softer side since he and his wife announced they were expecting their first child, and it doesn’t look like he’s removing his heart from his sleeve anytime soon. The billionaire CEO posted an adorable snap of him snuggling with his newborn, Maxima, yesterday, and it’s got the entire internet saying, “Awww.”

Zuckerberg, who recently announced his plan to give 99 percent of his Facebook shares to charity, captioned the photo, “Full of joy with little Max,” and in it, he’s gazing adoringly at her as they both lie on the floor. The photo is striking not just because of it’s sweetness, but also because it shows something we rarely get a chance to see: a mega-powerful male CEO who seems equally invested in being a mega-devoted dad.

It’s not that there’s a shortage of devoted dads. According to a Boston College study, 89 percent of dads want paid time off for the births of their kids. The only problem is, according to the same study, only nine percent of American companies offer any sort of paternity leave to their employees. Even worse, of the men who get it, 40 percent say they feel pressured to return to the office as quickly as possible. It’s that insane pressure that photos like this work to combat.

Obviously Zuckerberg has an overwhelming amount of privilege and could afford to never work again if he really wanted to, but his circumstances aren’t really important here. What is important is someone powerful in the business world showing that taking time off to be a parent — to be a father — is okay. Both moms and dads need powerful professionals like Mark Zuckerberg to not only talk the talk about paid parental leave, but to also walk the walk. Zuckerberg is doing that here.

Zuckerberg is on a two-month leave from work while he and his family adjust to life with baby Max. Hopefully we’ll be seeing many more sweet shares from the new dad, not only because of his massive of influence, but also because, hello, adorable. The man did invent Facebook, after all. It’s about time he used it to over-sharent just like the rest of us.

(Feature image via David Ramos/Getty)