Zuckerberg Slams Media Claims on Facebook Q3 Call

The CEO of the world's largest social media platform hit back at accusations ahead of a major key event

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Published: October 26, 2021

Demond Cureton

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s Chief Executive and Founder, vehemently defended his company’s position on internet security, global media reported on early Tuesday, just days ahead of the firm’s Facebook Connect event.

Zuckerberg revealed the US social media giant’s strategy for its upcoming platform, which aims to target young adults aged 18 to 29, he said in a third quarter earnings call.

Speaking to attendees, he said the transition to younger age groups would take “years, not months,” adding,

“We are retooling our teams to make serving young adults their North Star, rather than optimizing for the larger number of older people. Like everything, this will involve trade-offs in our product, and it will likely mean the rest of our community will grow more slowly than it otherwise would have. But it should also mean that our services become stronger for young adults”

The Facebook CEO added he would focus on video content with the Menlo Park-based firm’s Reels platform to earn a greater market share of the key market shared with Chinese rival TikTok.

Zuckerberg Hits Back at Social Media Allegations

The comments come amid fierce criticism against the tech company after former employee Frances Haugen leaked a trove of documents to the Securities Exchange Commission and Congress.

Haugen’s and a consortium alleged the tech giant was aware of the platform’s mental health impacts and potential to spread deadly misinformation.

Zuckerberg repeatedly denied the claims, stating that, despite “good faith criticism” helping the company to improve, there had been a “coordinated effort” to smear the company’s reputation.

14-year-old Molly Russell committed suicide in November 2017 after reportedly viewing “a rabbit hole of depressive content,” her father wrote in the Washington Post on Monday.

He slammed the negative media reports, stating,

“We have an open culture, where we encourage discussion and research about our work so we can make progress on many complex issues that are not specific to just us”

He added Facebook worked to resolve the issues “because we care about getting this right.”

Facebook Investments in the Metaverse

The news comes as Facebook plans to invest $10 billion USD in its Reality Labs VR and AR division, which is tasked with “[Oculus] related consumer hardware, software, and content” separate from the company’s family of apps such as Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Zuckerberg said in a statement:

“There’s a whole ecosystem. We’re building multiple generations of our VR and AR products at the same time, as well as a new operating system and development model, a digital commerce platform, content studios, and of course a social platform”

Facebook has begun rolling out a massive transformation of its operations, namely after stating it would transition to become a “Metaverse company” in early August and hire thousands of employees in the European Union and United States.

The company has also pushed for several new products, including upgrades to the Oculus Quest 2, a pair of Ray-Ban ‘smart glasses’ with video recording functions, and a reportedly leaked Quest Pro headset.

The huge overhaul of the global social media firm, including a major rebranding of its name and product lineup, hopes to sucessfully build the platform widely seen as the successor to the internet, Zuckerberg told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday. The company has also pledged a further $50 million in late September to building an “ethical” Metaverse along with backing from numerous global organisations.

 

 

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