Mark Zuckerberg copping flak within Meta for political stance: Report

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's growing closeness with the Trump administration and his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast left his employees and co-workers shocked and feeling betrayed, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The report said over 40 people, speaking anonymously, described Zuckerberg’s transformation into “MAGA Mark” as drastic.

"We are, they say, witnessing a Revenge of the Nerds-style midlife crisis. For Zuckerberg to so theatrically align himself with the Maga movement and the "manosphere", a constellation of anti-woke, alpha male influencers, seemed like a total break from his image as a supporter of social justice. In interviews, current and former staff used language such as "grieving", "horror" and "betrayal" to describe how they felt," the report added.


On the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg sparked controversy by calling corporate America "culturally neutered" and urging for more "masculine energy" in workplaces.

The comment sparked an internal backlash at Meta, with some executives raising concerns at a company meeting. However, the Meta chief reportedly brushed them off. “He basically said: ‘If you don’t like it, tough s**t’,” one staffer told FT.

Some staffers believe Zuckerberg grew frustrated that Elon Musk was widely seen as the bold, visionary figure, while he did not receive the same recognition. “He saw that Elon Musk was popular among the tech bros. There was a push to make him cool. The core of The Social Network movie is true — he just wants people to like him,” an insider said in the report.

In a recent interview Telegram CEO Pavel Durov told French publication Le Point, "Mark adapts well and quickly follows trends, but he seems to lack fundamental values that he would remain faithful to, regardless of changes in the political climate or tech industry trends."