Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made significant policy changes this week that aligned more closely with conservative values. These changes include rolling back content moderation, eliminating fact-checking, removing tampons from men’s bathrooms at Meta facilities, and ending the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan on Friday, Jan. 10, that the sweeping changes were not intended to appease President-elect Donald Trump. Still, he acknowledged that the results of the 2024 election influenced his decisions.
“The good thing about doing it after the election is you get to take this kind of cultural pulse and see where people are right now and how they’re thinking about it,” Zuckerberg said. “We try to have policies that reflect mainstream discourse. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I think this is going to be pretty durable.”
In the post-election environment, Zuckerberg has met with Trump on several occasions, visiting Mar-a-Lago in November and returning to the Florida estate on Friday following his three-hour interview with Rogan. These meetings and a $1 million donation from Zuckerberg to Trump’s inaugural fund last month have fueled speculation about his motives.
The New York Times reported that “more than a dozen current and former Meta employees, executives, and advisers said Zuckerberg’s shift in policy serves two purposes. It positions Meta to align with the rising conservative power in Washington as Trump prepares to take office on Jan. 20. It also reflects Zuckerberg’s personal views on how his $1.5 trillion company should be run, views he no longer wants to keep private.”
According to those employees, Zuckerberg spearheaded the recent changes and kept the information in a small circle. Most employees learned about the changes when the news became public this week.
The changes include a rollback on content moderation, allowing for more discussion on sensitive political issues. Meta has also dismantled its fact-checking program, instead relying on users to flag posts they believe contain misinformation. The company will allow more political content in Facebook and Instagram feeds—content previously suppressed.
In addition to changes in online speech, Meta has ended its DEI initiatives. The company eliminated its chief diversity officer position and removed diversity hiring goals. Transgender and nonbinary themes were also removed from its Messenger chat app.
Facility managers in Silicon Valley, Texas and New York were instructed to remove tampons from men’s bathrooms this week, according to multiple media reports.
Inside Meta, reactions to the changes have been divided. According to The New York Times, this internal divide mirrors the broader political landscape. Conservatives have largely hailed the decisions, while liberals have expressed caution over their potential long-term impact. Meta’s whirlwind week has captured the attention of both sides of the political spectrum.
