Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared at a recent event that his days of apologizing are over. The Facebook founder attempted to blame conservatives themselves for the rampant censorship on his platforms, stating, “When it’s a political problem… there are people operating in good faith who are identifying a problem and want something to be fixed, and there are people who are just looking for someone to blame.”
TechCrunch reports that in a packed Chase Center in San Francisco, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage for a conversation with the hosts of the Acquired podcast. Sporting a new look with long curly hair, a gold chain, and a custom-designed t-shirt reading “learning through suffering” in Greek, Zuckerberg joked that he might need to schedule his next appearance to apologize for whatever he was about to say. However, he quickly clarified that he was kidding and that, in fact, his apologizing days are behind him.
The Facebook founder, who has spent considerable time apologizing for the platform’s content moderation issues and censorship of conservatives, reflected on the biggest mistakes of his career. He cited a “20-year political miscalculation” as his largest error, suggesting that he had taken too much responsibility for problems allegedly beyond Facebook’s control.
“Some of the things they were asserting that we were doing or were responsible for, I don’t actually think we were,” Zuckerberg said. “When it’s a political problem… there are people operating in good faith who are identifying a problem and want something to be fixed, and there are people who are just looking for someone to blame.”
Zuckerberg claims to have found the right balance on political issues. In August, he sent a letter to House Republicans apologizing for censoring COVID-19 information in 2020 and bending to demands from the Biden administration. He expressed regret for not being more vocal about government pressure at the time and vowed to “push back” if similar situations arise in the future.
Meanwhile, Facebook and Instagram have lifted all special restrictions on Trump’s social media accounts, which were initially imposed after the January 6 insurrection in 2021. These changes will not impact Trump’s accounts as the 2024 election approaches. In July, while stopping short of endorsing a specific presidential candidate, Zuckerberg referred to Trump as a “badass” for raising his fist after an assassination attempt.
During the event, Zuckerberg emphasized his excitement for projects beyond social media, describing Meta as a “human connection” company at its core. He acknowledged that no one wakes up eager for social media but instead wants to create more “awesome” products, likely referring to Meta’s AR glasses, VR goggles, and open-source AI efforts.
When pressed about whether he regrets renaming the company Meta, signaling a pivot towards the metaverse, Zuckerberg simply replied, “Meta is a good name.” Despite his focus shifting, Meta’s social media platforms remain a daily gathering place for billions, meaning content moderation issues will persist, and the CEO will ultimately face consequential decisions.
Read more at TechCrunch here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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