'Everything I say leaks': Mark Zuckerberg loses control as Meta employees spill the beans
Matthew Chapman
January 30, 2025
Matthew Chapman
January 30, 2025
RAW STORY
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaking at the Mobile World Congress on March 02, 2015, Barcelona, Spain. (Shutterstock)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears to be losing control of the company behind the scenes, as leaked footage of a company meeting obtained by 404 Media appears to show him complaining — about leaks.
This comes as Zuckerberg has drawn heavy fire for his increasingly stark attempts to ingratiate himself to the Trump administration, from replacing Facebook's fact-checking system to arranging a $25 million settlement for a frivolous lawsuit Trump filed for Facebook suspending his accounts after the Jan. 6 attack — all of which appears calculated to get out from under years of antitrust investigation.
The meeting began with Zuckerberg explaining why he would not follow the company's usual practice of polling employees to decide what questions he would have to answer.
“I want to be able to be able to talk about stuff openly, but I am also trying to like, well, we’re trying to build stuff and create value in the world, not destroy value by talking about stuff that inevitably leaks,” said Zuckerberg. “There are a bunch of things that I think are value-destroying for me to talk about, so I’m not going to talk about those. But I think it’ll be good. You all can give us feedback later. Maybe it’s just the nature of running a company at scale, but it’s a little bit of a bummer.”
During the meeting, the report continued, Zuckerberg "repeated many things he has said publicly, such as the possibility of replacing software engineers with AI, the fact that he thinks open source AI will soon overtake closed-source AI, and the fact that he believes the company can now work more easily with the Trump administration that he has changed his platforms to align with."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaking at the Mobile World Congress on March 02, 2015, Barcelona, Spain. (Shutterstock)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears to be losing control of the company behind the scenes, as leaked footage of a company meeting obtained by 404 Media appears to show him complaining — about leaks.
This comes as Zuckerberg has drawn heavy fire for his increasingly stark attempts to ingratiate himself to the Trump administration, from replacing Facebook's fact-checking system to arranging a $25 million settlement for a frivolous lawsuit Trump filed for Facebook suspending his accounts after the Jan. 6 attack — all of which appears calculated to get out from under years of antitrust investigation.
The meeting began with Zuckerberg explaining why he would not follow the company's usual practice of polling employees to decide what questions he would have to answer.
“I want to be able to be able to talk about stuff openly, but I am also trying to like, well, we’re trying to build stuff and create value in the world, not destroy value by talking about stuff that inevitably leaks,” said Zuckerberg. “There are a bunch of things that I think are value-destroying for me to talk about, so I’m not going to talk about those. But I think it’ll be good. You all can give us feedback later. Maybe it’s just the nature of running a company at scale, but it’s a little bit of a bummer.”
During the meeting, the report continued, Zuckerberg "repeated many things he has said publicly, such as the possibility of replacing software engineers with AI, the fact that he thinks open source AI will soon overtake closed-source AI, and the fact that he believes the company can now work more easily with the Trump administration that he has changed his platforms to align with."
Blurred posts, banned accounts: Abortion groups decry Meta ‘suppression’
By AFP
January 29, 2025
Abortion pills, sometimes procured over the internet, are a key means of accessing the procedure in the United States
By AFP
January 29, 2025
Abortion pills, sometimes procured over the internet, are a key means of accessing the procedure in the United States
- Copyright AFP/File Olivier DOULIERY
Issam AHMED
Blurred posts, downranked searches and deleted accounts: Since President Donald Trump’s election, groups sharing information about abortion pills say they have faced a surge in online censorship—hindering their ability to reach women urgently seeking the procedure.
Reproductive rights organizations accuse Meta of leading the latest wave of digital suppression on Instagram and Facebook, drawing attention to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to refocus on free speech.
Meta confirmed to AFP that groups including Aid Access, Women Help Women, and Plan C had experienced varying degrees of issues with their content.
“These groups encountered both correct enforcement and a variety of issues, including overenforcement and a technical bug,” a spokesperson said, citing prohibitions on the sale of drugs without proper certification as an example of legitimate enforcement.
“We’ve been quite clear in recent weeks that we want to allow more speech and reduce enforcement mistakes — and we’re committed to doing that.”
But the accounts were only restored after AFP and other news outlets initiated queries, with the organizations crediting media pressure for the change.
– Anti-abortion administration –
Zuckerberg’s recent overtures to Trump, whose inauguration he attended with other tech moguls, could point to alignment with the new anti-abortion administration, observers say.
In its first days, the Trump administration took down reproductiverights.gov and targeted abortion access at home and abroad, including by rescinding orders that protected access to abortion pills and women’s ability to travel to states where the procedure is not banned.
It also cut off funding to foreign groups providing such services.
“Meta has said that they’re trying to get back to the roots of free expression — but right now, it’s hard to tell who exactly is going to be able to exercise that right fully,” Jane Eklund, author of an Amnesty International report on abortion information censorship, told AFP.
“It really is a wait and see in how these tech bros are cozying up to the new administration and trying to gain favor with it — I am concerned about how this is going to play out.”
Aid Access was founded by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts to provide abortion pills over the internet, a key means of accessing the procedure in the United States, where abortion has been outlawed or restricted in nearly half of states since a landmark court ruling in 2022.
“It was in the beginning of January that we first noticed it,” the 59-year-old told AFP, referring to pages removed on Instagram and Facebook.
They were later restored, though some posts were still blurred. Gomperts, known for her “abortion boat” that anchored off coasts of countries banning the procedure, said she was no stranger to censorship having previously lost her personal Facebook account and access to Google ads.
Though Aid Access’s pages are now back, she remains concerned for the future. People “need to have the help they need, period,” she said.
– Perpetuates ‘stigma’ –
Another group, Women Help Women, only regained its account after AFP queried Meta.
“On December 26, Meta blocked our Instagram account, @womenhelporg, without warning, claiming it violated ‘community standards,'” Lucia Berro Pizzarossa of the group told AFP.
“This account had been reaching thousands with crucial, evidence-based information and messages aimed at reducing stigma around abortion.”
“Search engines have deprioritized our website, and shadow banning has invisibly suppressed our reach on social media, making it harder for individuals to find accurate and timely resources.”
Advocates worry that such measures perpetuate stigma, with abortion-seekers at times resorting to “algospeak” or coded expressions to circumvent automated moderation measures.
“People try to share information and they can’t, and then they tell us ‘we don’t know what we did wrong,'” said Martha Dimitratou, digital strategist for Plan C, a US group that provides information on self-managed, at-home abortion with pills.
Plan C lost access to its Meta advertising account in December, severely curbing how many people it could reach, Dimitratou said. That too was restored after AFP made inquiries.
Even with accounts now restored, Berro Pizzarossa of Women Help Women said there was no clear process for appeal if suppression happens again.
Issam AHMED
Blurred posts, downranked searches and deleted accounts: Since President Donald Trump’s election, groups sharing information about abortion pills say they have faced a surge in online censorship—hindering their ability to reach women urgently seeking the procedure.
Reproductive rights organizations accuse Meta of leading the latest wave of digital suppression on Instagram and Facebook, drawing attention to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to refocus on free speech.
Meta confirmed to AFP that groups including Aid Access, Women Help Women, and Plan C had experienced varying degrees of issues with their content.
“These groups encountered both correct enforcement and a variety of issues, including overenforcement and a technical bug,” a spokesperson said, citing prohibitions on the sale of drugs without proper certification as an example of legitimate enforcement.
“We’ve been quite clear in recent weeks that we want to allow more speech and reduce enforcement mistakes — and we’re committed to doing that.”
But the accounts were only restored after AFP and other news outlets initiated queries, with the organizations crediting media pressure for the change.
– Anti-abortion administration –
Zuckerberg’s recent overtures to Trump, whose inauguration he attended with other tech moguls, could point to alignment with the new anti-abortion administration, observers say.
In its first days, the Trump administration took down reproductiverights.gov and targeted abortion access at home and abroad, including by rescinding orders that protected access to abortion pills and women’s ability to travel to states where the procedure is not banned.
It also cut off funding to foreign groups providing such services.
“Meta has said that they’re trying to get back to the roots of free expression — but right now, it’s hard to tell who exactly is going to be able to exercise that right fully,” Jane Eklund, author of an Amnesty International report on abortion information censorship, told AFP.
“It really is a wait and see in how these tech bros are cozying up to the new administration and trying to gain favor with it — I am concerned about how this is going to play out.”
Aid Access was founded by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts to provide abortion pills over the internet, a key means of accessing the procedure in the United States, where abortion has been outlawed or restricted in nearly half of states since a landmark court ruling in 2022.
“It was in the beginning of January that we first noticed it,” the 59-year-old told AFP, referring to pages removed on Instagram and Facebook.
They were later restored, though some posts were still blurred. Gomperts, known for her “abortion boat” that anchored off coasts of countries banning the procedure, said she was no stranger to censorship having previously lost her personal Facebook account and access to Google ads.
Though Aid Access’s pages are now back, she remains concerned for the future. People “need to have the help they need, period,” she said.
– Perpetuates ‘stigma’ –
Another group, Women Help Women, only regained its account after AFP queried Meta.
“On December 26, Meta blocked our Instagram account, @womenhelporg, without warning, claiming it violated ‘community standards,'” Lucia Berro Pizzarossa of the group told AFP.
“This account had been reaching thousands with crucial, evidence-based information and messages aimed at reducing stigma around abortion.”
“Search engines have deprioritized our website, and shadow banning has invisibly suppressed our reach on social media, making it harder for individuals to find accurate and timely resources.”
Advocates worry that such measures perpetuate stigma, with abortion-seekers at times resorting to “algospeak” or coded expressions to circumvent automated moderation measures.
“People try to share information and they can’t, and then they tell us ‘we don’t know what we did wrong,'” said Martha Dimitratou, digital strategist for Plan C, a US group that provides information on self-managed, at-home abortion with pills.
Plan C lost access to its Meta advertising account in December, severely curbing how many people it could reach, Dimitratou said. That too was restored after AFP made inquiries.
Even with accounts now restored, Berro Pizzarossa of Women Help Women said there was no clear process for appeal if suppression happens again.
By AFP
January 29, 2025
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed support for US President Donald Trump - Copyright AFP/File Drew ANGERER
Meta has agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit he filed claiming he was wrongfully censored by Facebook and Instagram after the US Capitol riot, the company said Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the settlement of the suit brought against Meta and its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, in what was seen as a victory for Trump.
According to people familiar with the agreement, the Journal said, $22 million of the payment will go towards funding Trump’s future presidential library, with the remainder covering legal fees and payments to other plaintiffs in the case.
Meta in the settlement will not admit wrongdoing over the suspensions of Trump’s accounts.
A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the settlement to AFP.
Trump had widely criticized social media platforms for suspending his accounts after the January 6, 2021 insurrection by his supporters, and comments he made that were seen as praising people engaged in the violence.
But he has recently courted tech titans including Zuckerberg and X owner Elon Musk, both of whom attended Trump’s presidential inauguration last week in Washington.
Zuckerberg has expressed support for Trump, and he has tweaked Meta’s policies to lift restrictions on some content within the company’s apps, which include Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.
Meta would be “restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg, who reportedly dined with Trump at his Florida estate in November, said this month in announcing a rollback of fact-checking operations.
The settlement is the latest bow by media corporations as they gird for a second Trump presidency.
In December, ABC News agreed to pay a $15 million settlement payment to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump stemming from on-air comments about him made by a top anchor.
Earlier Wednesday Meta reported its net income soared by 59 percent to $62.36 billion for the full year.
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