Mark Zuckerberg is in his unapologetic era

“One of the things that I look back on and regret is that I accepted other people’s view of some of the things that they said I did wrong or that I was responsible for, and I don’t think I was. ,” the Meta boss said, according to Casey Newton’s platform.

A recording of the full interview has yet to be released.

“When it’s a political issue … Sometimes there are people who are operating in good faith, who identify a problem and want to see something done, and there are people who are just looking for someone to come,” he continued.

Meta has been criticized for numerous issues over the years, including Facebook’s role in fueling ethnic cleansing campaigns in Myanmar, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the proliferation of disinformation and foreign influence campaigns on Facebook around elections, and concerns about the negative effects on social mental health. media use by minors.

Zuckerberg has testified — and apologized — before Congress several times about such Facebook crises.

“Honestly, I think we should have been more firm and clear about which of the things we actually felt we had a part in and which we didn’t,” Zuckerberg said at the podcast event. “And I think if the IPO was a year-and-a-half mistake, I think the policy mistake was a 20-year mistake.”

Zuckerberg said Meta still has a ways to go to rehabilitate its image as a result. “I think it’s going to take another 10 years or so for us to fully work through that cycle before our brand gets back to where it could have been if I hadn’t messed this up in the first place,” he added . .

Earlier this year, in his eighth appearance before Congress, this time for a hearing earlier this year on children’s online safety, Zuckerberg was questioned by a Senate panel before GOP Sen. Josh Hawley prodded him to confront the families present whose children were injured or died. from exploitation or abuse on social networks.

Zuckerberg then stood up and told the families, “No one should have to go through what your families have gone through, and that’s why we’ve invested so much.” Families held photos of their children in the air as Zuckerberg spoke.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zuckerberg’s recent statements come as the Meta CEO has undergone an image makeover over the past two years, changing his style, getting fitter and being more personal in his social media posts – with a heavy dose of humor and self-deprecating memes. He’s also feuding with Elon Musk and doesn’t plan to be as publicly involved in politics this election cycle or support any particular candidate.

“Being uncomfortable and getting negative feedback about how I came across definitely made me more thoughtful and more thoughtful,” Zuckerberg said in the July Threads post. “It’s still not my best, but I’m getting a little more comfortable being just me as I get older.”

As the Facebook co-founder enters his 40s and reflects on his decades at Facebook’s helm, one thing is increasingly clear.

Zuckerberg is officially in his no-apologies era.