Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower who leaked thousands of internal documents of the social media platform, said CEO Mark Zuckerberg should step down from his position, according to US media reports.
As per a CNBC report, Haugen was asked about her opinions on the matter at a Web Summit on Monday, where she first seemed to beat around the bush. However, she later said, “I think Facebook would be stronger with someone who was willing to focus on safety. So yes.”
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Zuckerberg, who has so far not dropped any hints about stepping back from his position, holds a strong grip on the company’s decisions. It is virtually impossible for the board, or other stakeholders, to force him out due to the dual-class share structure, which gives Zuckerberg the majority of voting shares.
Haugen, who called on Zuckerberg to step down for the first time since the recent stir, said in a statement, “I think it is unlikely the company will change if he remains the CEO”, according to reports from CNBC.
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She added, “And I hope that he can see that there is so much good that he could do in the world and maybe it is a chance for someone else to maybe take the reins”, indicating that Zuckerberg still has room to make amends in the policies of the social media company.
“It doesn’t make him a bad person to have made mistakes”, CNBC reported while citing Haugen’s statements. “But it is unacceptable to continue to make the same bad mistakes after you know that those are mistakes. And so I have faith that he can change.”
Haugen, who has often been referred to as the whistleblower to Facebook, also spoke about the company’s latest measure to rebrand itself, giving the new name “Meta.”
She said, “Over and over again Facebook chooses expansion in new areas over sticking the landing on what they have already done”, according to reports from CNBC.
She added, “And I find it unconscionable that, as you read through the documents, it states very clearly there need to be more resources on very basic safety systems.”