Mark became interested in computers at an early age. When he was about twelve,he used the Atari Basic program to create a messaging program called "Zucknet". His father used it in his dental office,and the family used it in the house. His fascination for computers continued through high school. Mark created a music software program,which was named Synapse. Several companies,including AOL(American On Line)and Microsoft,wanted to buy his software and hire him, but he refused their offers. He went to college instead.