Steve Jobs' liver transplant helped inspire Facebook organ donor program

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg mentioned in an interview with ABC News that his friendship with Steve Jobs and his liver transplant that extended his life came to mind as he worked on a plan to increase the number of organ donors.

"That definitely, I think, was something that we all had in mind as we were building this out," Zuckerberg said. "His story is just one of many, of people who both were able to have an organ transplant that made his life longer, and he was extremely thankful for that."

Steve Jobs was a major proponent of a California bill passed in 2010 that made it easier for residents to become an organ donor. Because of that bill, California residents must now accept or decline the option of becoming an organ donor when they renew their drivers license. The bill also encouraged creation of the nation's first living registry for kidney transplants.

As far as you remember, Jobs received his liver transplant from a person in their mid-20s who died in a car crash. "I am alive because of their generosity," Jobs said. "I hope we can all be that generous."