Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly berated former top aide Sheryl Sandberg during a visit to Mar-a-Lago, saying, “Employees should not express themselves in the workplace.'' They accused her of introducing a controversial DEI initiative on Facebook called “Encouraging
Mr. Zuckerberg, who has drawn criticism for his familiarity with the new administration, spoke during a sit-in with advisers at President-elect Donald Trump's retreat in Florida shortly after the Republican Party's historic election victory in November. He commented as follows. According to the New York Times.
The Nov. 27 discussion also included Stephen Miller, who will become the White House deputy chief of staff, and discussed a variety of topics, including the administration's anticipated immigration crackdown and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Hot topics were discussed. The Times reported.
According to the Times, Miller told Zuckerberg that the billionaire “has an opportunity to help reform America, but it's on Trump's terms.”
The 40-year-old tech tycoon was “submissive” and said he and Meta executives “will do nothing to thwart Trump's policies,” people familiar with the meeting told the Times.
Mr. Zuckerberg reportedly slammed Mr. Sandberg for pushing an “inclusivity initiative” and said Meta would scrap its DEI policy.
“[Zuckerberg] “The new guidelines and round of job cuts amount to a reset, with more changes to come,” the Times reported, citing people familiar with the meeting.
Mr. Zuckerberg claimed that Meta would focus “solely on developing high-tech products,” the Times reported.
After the meeting, Mr. Zuckerberg dispatched senior members of Congress to Mar-a-Lago to inform Mr. Trump's transition officials of the planned changes at Meta, the Times reported.
Mr. Zuckerberg, who donated $1 million to President Trump's inaugural fund, began a major overhaul of Meta in recent weeks after meeting with Mr. Miller.
He laid off about 5% of the company's workforce, ended its third-party fact-checking and censorship program, and eliminated its DEI efforts.
Mehta also appointed pro-Trump UFC President Dana White, Stellantis Chairman John Elkann, and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst to the board.
The newspaper has reached out to Mehta, the Trump transition team, and Sandberg for comment.
Mr. Sandberg, 54, was Meta's chief operating officer for 14 years, spearheading the massive development of Facebook advertising, which accounts for a huge portion of Meta's revenue.
She shockingly quit in 2022. At the time, she claimed she wanted to devote more energy to philanthropy, women's rights advocacy, and personal projects.
But reports suggested her resignation was due to increased regulatory scrutiny of Meta's business practices, as well as internal tensions over content moderation, political advertising and changes in corporate culture. are.
Although she did not publicly link her departure to these challenges, her influence within the company reportedly waned as Zuckerberg shifted his focus to the Metaverse and cost-cutting measures. .
Sandberg, a former Treasury official in the Clinton administration, wrote Lean In in 2013, a book that encourages women to be more aggressive in climbing the corporate ladder.
Before Mr. Zuckerberg hired her to help run Facebook, Ms. Sandberg worked at the search engine and helped develop Google's advertising program.
