The first sign of Mark Zuckerberg’s capitulation to the MAGA movement came when he visited Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for Thanksgiving in December.
After which Metaworth $1.5 trillion, made a decidedly modest $1 million contribution to President-elect Trump’s inaugural fund.
But it seems geeks bringing gifts wouldn’t be enough to appease a president-elect who once threatened to imprison the man he called “Zuckerschmuck,” whom he accused of conspiring against him in the 2020 election.
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And Meta’s final move change content moderation on its platforms – Facebook, Instagram and Threads – away from third-party fact-checking, may not be his last move to build bridges with the new administration.
Why this change of tone? The obvious answer is that Mark Zuckerberg is above all a businessman.
Mark Zuckerberg during a Senate hearing in 2024. File photo: Reuters
The days when big tech companies actually did what they wanted without political interference are coming to an end.
This year, Meta is facing an antitrust lawsuit and moves are being made to overhaul legislation that effectively protects social media companies from liability for the content they post.
They and the other tech titans of Silicon Valley will need all the friends they can get in Washington.
It’s no wonder that Amazon and Open AI also sent $1 million each to the president-elect in December.
But there can also be a personal aspect.
Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump. Photos: AP/Reuters
Long before that of Mr. Trump victory, Mark Zuckerberg had already ditched the gray hoodie for a gold chain and designer clothes.
He and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, whose philanthropic organizations initially worked to support undocumented migrants, improve access to health care, and reduce incarceration rates, have since curbed almost all such activities that could be interpreted as politically partisan.
Either exhausted, disillusioned with American politics, or — critics would say, rich enough to not care — Mr. Zuckerberg was already sitting on the fence.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have cut back on philanthropic projects that could be construed as politically partisan. File photo: AP
Changing its content moderation plans in the United States could improve Meta’s fortunes there, but it could have the opposite effect in Europe.
The EU’s Digital Services Act requires companies to do more to combat disinformation and harmful content.
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Meta is already the subject of several investigations in the EU and the UK Online Safety Act also contains similar provisions.
This explains why Meta only ends third-party fact-checking of its content in the United States, and not elsewhere.
A fact that underscores, perhaps more than anything, Mr. Zuckerberg’s shift from his once-lofty ideals to pragmatism and the threat that even companies as powerful as Meta see from the new president.