White House pressure on content moderation
Zuckerberg condemned the White House for pressuring Meta to moderate content on its social media platforms, delivering a blistering interview just 10 days before Biden’s term ends.
During Meta CEO’s podcast with Rogan, he said that White House officials would “scream” and “curse” at Meta employees during discussions on moderating Covid-19 content. He stated that the administration’s demands to remove posts, including satire, were excessive and contributed to growing distrust among the public. Zuckerberg had previously raised these concerns in a letter to Congress in August.
Optimistic about Trump’s return
“The US government should be defending its companies, not be at the tip of the spear attacking its companies,” Zuckerberg said. In contrast, the Facebook founder expressed being “optimistic” about Trump’s potential return to the White House.
Discover the stories of your interest
“I think he just wants America to win,” Zuckerberg said.Since president-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory, Zuckerberg has been navigating a personal and professional relationship with Trump. In the past week, Meta made several moves, including a $1 million donation to Trump’s upcoming inauguration, suspension of its fact-checking programme in the US, relaxed speech restrictions around social issues, and significant changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Adding to this, UFC president Dana White, a known Trump ally, was added to Meta’s board.
Corporate culture and gender views
Zuckerberg discussed the rise of what he described as “culturally neutered” companies that have distanced themselves from “masculine energy.”
“Masculine energy I think is good, and obviously society has plenty of that, but I think that corporate culture was really trying to get away from it,” Zuckerberg said during a nearly three-hour-long conversation.
Facebook founder, who launched his career by rating the attractiveness of women at Harvard University, added that he grew up with three sisters and has three daughters, and wants women to succeed in corporations.
“If you’re a woman going into a company, it probably feels like it’s too masculine. It’s — there isn’t enough of the energy that you may naturally have,” he told Rogan. “You want women to be able to succeed and have companies that can unlock all the value from having great people no matter what their background or gender.”
Second appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience
The Friday episode was Zuckerberg’s second appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan, widely regarded as the world’s most popular podcaster, has 19 million subscribers on YouTube and over 15 million on Spotify.
