Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta Platforms, is being evaluated as actively seeking to improve relations with Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, by abolishing fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram and heavily appointing conservative figures.
Zuckerberg, who has maintained an uncomfortable relationship with Trump for years, began to take steps to restore that relationship after Trump was re-elected in last year's election. Meta recently abolished the fact-checking feature and received a warm welcome from Trump's Chin Young by placing Trump's close associates in key positions.
The British daily Guardian analyzed on the 7th (local time) that Zuckerberg's actions are a strategy to 'look good to the president-elect Trump,' noting that Meta is shifting to the right. The New York Times also evaluated that 'this signals that Meta is realigning its stance for Trump while emphasizing online freedom of speech,' highlighting how much effort Zuckerberg is making to improve relations with the president-elect Trump.
Zuckerberg also stated that the existing content management policy had led to 'excessive censorship' and indicated plans to ease restrictions on controversial topics like immigration and gender. He announced plans to move the content management team's office from California to Texas, explaining it as 'a measure to resolve the controversy over biased censorship.'
Meanwhile, Meta recently ousted moderate and progressive figures from its board and senior positions, bringing in associates of Trump. On the 6th, it appointed Dana White, Trump's close associate and chief executive officer (CEO) of UFC, as a director, while Sheryl Sandberg, who had served as Meta's chief operating officer (COO) for a long time, stepped down from the board. Additionally, Nick Clegg, who was in charge of global affairs, expressed his intention to resign, and Joel Kaplan, a former official from the George W. Bush administration, is expected to replace him.
To improve relations with Trump after the election, Zuckerberg made direct efforts, such as visiting his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and Meta donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration committee. The president-elect Trump reacted positively to Zuckerberg's moves, saying, 'Meta's stance has changed a lot.'