Facebook whistleblower: Mark Zuckerberg set to step down as CEO
“I think the company is unlikely to change if he remains CEO,” she said in an onstage interview at the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon. “I hope he can see that there is so much good he can do in the world, and maybe it’s a chance for someone else to take the reins.”
Haugen added: “I think Facebook would be stronger with someone willing to focus on security.”
The documents provide the most in-depth examination to date of many of the company’s biggest issues, including how hate speech and disinformation is amplified on the platform, how coordinated groups are able to using its apps to cause violence and damage in the real world, and how its lack of language skills other than English have endangered users in politically unstable parts of the world.
For its part, Facebook-turned-Meta has repeatedly rebuffed Haugen’s claims and said the documents it leaked gave a distorted picture of the company’s research and efforts.
“At the heart of these stories is a premise that is wrong. Yes, we are a business and we make a profit, but the idea that we do it at the expense of the safety or well-being of people misunderstands where it is. our own business interests, ”Facebook spokesman Andy Stone told CNN in a statement last month. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this article.
Lawmakers have asked Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and some tech security advocates have called for a leadership change at the social media giant. However, it doesn’t look like Zuckerberg is planning to step down anytime soon.
Shortly after the announcement, Zuckerberg’s job title on his personal Facebook page changed to: “Founder and CEO of Meta.”
“Time and time again, Facebook chooses to expand into new areas over sticking to what they have already done,” she said. “As you read the documents, it makes it very clear that there needs to be more resources on very basic security systems. And instead of investing to make sure their platforms are at a minimum level of security, they’re about to invest 10,000 engineers in video games. And I can’t imagine how much that makes sense. ”
Meta spokesman Joe Osborne called Haugen’s comment “a ridiculous comparison and a false choice.”
“It’s not like a business can only develop new technology or invest in keeping people safe,” Obsorne said in a statement to CNN Business. “Obviously, we can and must do both of these things at the same time – and we do.”