Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seeking an active role in the tech policy of Donald Trump’s upcoming administration, despite the two's contentious relationship in the past.
Fox News reported that Zuckerberg dined at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida last week and made his intentions clear by talking about technology and demonstrating the company’s camera-equipped sunglasses.
“Mark Zuckerberg has been very clear about his desire to be a supporter of - and a participant in - this change that we’re seeing all around America,” Stephen Miller, a top Trump deputy, told Fox.
According to Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs said Zuckerberg’s involvement would primarily focus on the debate surrounding America’s technological leadership, particularly in fields like AI and privacy regulation.
Zuckerberg’s want to have a more hands-on role also comes as more competition emerges for his platforms especially with nations like China and the European Unions pushing forward their own technology regulations.
Zuckerberg’s shift in stance, especially after years of public feuds and Meta’s actions surrounding Trump has called the future of both Meta and U.S. tech policy under Trump’s leadership.
In the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection, Zuckerberg suspended Trump’s accounts for inciting violence, causing Trump to accuse the Meta platforms of censoring conservative views.
In regards to Meta’s treatment of Trump Clegg said they might have “overdone it a bit” in removing content during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also admitted that Meta’s error rates in content removal have been too high, resulting in the removal of harmless content or unfair penalisation of users.
These comments are a departure from the company’s previous stance of being overly aggressive in removing content.