‘Everything I Say Leaks. It Sucks.’: Mark Zuckerberg Stuck Doing Damage Control As More Meta Employees Call His Bluff

Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has fired around 20 employees for sharing confidential internal information with outsiders. This strong move comes after a number of leaks that revealed private company discussions, plans for new products, and statements from top executives.

These leaks have raised concerns about how secure the company’s data is and whether there is growing disagreement among employees. The firings are part of a larger effort led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to stop leaks, as he has been openly frustrated by the repeated sharing of sensitive information with the media.

The leaks started several months ago and included details from company-wide meetings, internal messages, and even question-and-answer sessions with Zuckerberg. “everything I say leaks. And it sucks, right?” Zuckerberg said back in January about the many leaks. The information that was leaked covered a wide range of topics, such as the company’s plans for developing artificial intelligence, changes to how it moderates content, and updates to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Before the recent firings, Zuckerberg had publicly expressed his frustration about the leaks and warned employees about the consequences of sharing confidential information. Meta conducted an investigation to find the sources of the leaks, which led to the identification and firing of about 20 employees. The company has also said that more employees could be fired as the investigation continues.

Meta’s response shows how seriously the company is taking the issue of unauthorized information sharing. Beyond the immediate concerns about security, the leaks are seen as harmful to employee morale and a waste of time and resources that could have been used for developing products and achieving company goals. Meta has emphasized that all employees are reminded regularly, both when they are hired and throughout their time at the company, that sharing internal information is against company policy.

These firings are happening during a time of significant changes within Meta. In recent months, the company has made major adjustments to its content moderation and fact-checking policies, and it has cut back on some of its DEI programs. These changes are widely seen as an attempt to align more closely with the political views of former U.S. President Donald Trump, and they have reportedly caused dissatisfaction and low morale among employees.

The situation has been made worse by recent layoffs, which affected about 5% of Meta’s global workforce and were based on employee performance. All of these factors have created a tense atmosphere within the company, which adds context to the recent investigation into leaks and the resulting firings.

While Meta has not publicly revealed which departments were affected by the firings or exactly what information was leaked, the company’s actions send a clear message that it is taking a strong stance against unauthorized sharing of information.

Source: The Verge