What Does Mark Zuckerberg Want From Donald Trump?

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At this point, it’s beautiful clear what Donald Trump wants from Mark Zuckerberg. But what does Zuckerberg, who has now gone to Mar-a-Lago doubly since nan November election, want from nan President-elect?

That’s nan mobility I’ve been asking sources successful and astir Meta complete nan past respective days. They each described Meta’s narration pinch nan outgoing Biden guidance arsenic incredibly hostile. It’s safe to presume that Zuckerberg wants a reset for nan MAGA regime, peculiarly since Trump threatened not that agelong agone to imprison him for life.

In Trump’s America, removing tampons from nan mens’ restrooms connected Meta’s campuses, — a existent constituent that conscionable happened — is arsenic overmuch a business determination arsenic a governmental one. Destroying ‘woke’ ideology is simply a cardinal pillar of Trump’s stated mandate. Others who cognize they petition to play nan game, for illustration Amazon, are too starting to autumn successful line. Even still, Zuckerberg is transforming Meta for this caller governmental reality astatine a velocity that’s different for a institution of its size and influence. Founder mode.

In his speech pinch Joe Rogan and his video connected Instagram, Zuckerberg shares a laundry database of issues that Trump could thief him with: fighting different countries that are ratcheting up their policing of his platforms, stopping Apple from dictating really he builds mobile apps and smart glasses (the 2nd is progressively important to Meta’s future), and, perchance astir importantly, keeping location AI regularisation from slowing his efforts to crush OpenAI. Elon Musk has bought Trump’s ear. But nan overmuch clip Zuckerberg spends successful Mar-a-Lago, nan overmuch Sam Altman and Tim Cook should beryllium worried.

Then there’s nan US government’s lawsuit to break up Meta that’s group to spell to proceedings successful a less months. After nan blur that was nan past 4 years, it’s easy to hide that this suit was revenge astatine nan extremity of Trump’s first connection by a Republican FTC chair, not Lina Khan…

Most of nan header reactions from nan past week personification focused connected Zuckerberg’s determination to extremity Meta’s third-party truth cheque program. It was a convenient scapegoat for institution executives that, frankly, ne'er lived up to nan extremity of bringing overmuch neutrality to Facebook and Instagram. The Community Notes replacement Meta is cribbing from X was not connected nan merchandise roadmap earlier this week, truthful it will astir apt beryllium awhile earlier everyone sees it successful nan wild.

The announcement that US moderators would beryllium moved from California to Texas is perchance nan astir cynical of them all; talk to anyone who knows and they’ll show you nan immense mostly of moderators are already based successful Austin.

Do you activity astatine Meta? I’d emotion to chat. You tin scope maine maine securely connected Signal and I’ll support you anonymous.

The hateful reside that is now allowed connected Meta’s is eye-popping connected its look and will beryllium deserving of overmuch scrutiny successful nan coming weeks. The determination to commencement recommending governmental contented again is simply a 180-degree move for Zuckerberg. But insiders judge that nan astir impactful alteration for users of Meta’s apps will beryllium nan softening of its systems that region contented for imaginable argumentation violations.

Out of each nan announcements Meta made past week, this is nan 1 I judge is nan slightest connected to Trump. Meta execs person been signaling for a while that they cognize they are mistakenly removing excessively overmuch contented that doesn’t really break nan rules; I’m told it’s 1 of, if not the, biggest title successful personification surveys. If done correctly, dialing backmost connected moderation mistakes whitethorn beryllium nan only constituent Zuckerberg announced that makes everyone happy.

Elsewhere

CES is for dealmaking now: Each year, nan charismatic CES show — nan sprawling show level and flashy keynotes — feels overmuch for illustration an advertizing workout and nary longer a spot to motorboat existent products. Most of nan powerfulness has moved to backstage gathering rooms and happy hours astatine nan Wynn, Aria, and Cosmopolitan, wherever tech execs are schmoozing CMOs and getting deals done pinch partners each week. At this protector CES, everyone seems to activity together that nan show is overmuch unrecorded than ever. Booths connected nan show level personification spell trading devices to show clients earlier you return them to a steak dinner. The business for nan organizers of CES will beryllium figuring retired really to span nan expanding powerfulness of this information of nan show pinch their existent business exemplary of charging group to locomotion astir booths filled pinch smart toasters and conception cars.
TikTok whitethorn conscionable get banned: Imagine an alternate world successful which nan Chinese authorities is astir to prohibition Instagram from operating successful nan authorities and Mark Zuckerberg is successful hiding. That’s nan business pinch ByteDance and its laminitis Zhang Yiming, who stepped down from nan CEO domiciled aft nan past US prohibition effort but still controls nan company. He fto TikTok beryllium banned successful India and seemingly has nary liking successful nan app surviving this time, truthful why wouldn’t he fto nan aforesaid constituent hap again?
Google and OpenAI flick astatine what’s next: Google’s DeepMind information is starting “an eager task to build generative models that simulate nan beingness world,” which it believes “is connected nan captious measurement to artificial wide intelligence.” Meanwhile, OpenAI is returning to its early roots by starting a “general-purpose robotics” squad that will build hardware and push “towards AGI-level intelligence successful dynamic, real-world settings.” We whitethorn personification deed a scaling wall connected matter accusation but nan ample labs intelligibly spot an opportunity successful 3D. (See too what Nvidia announced past week.)
Other headlines you whitethorn personification missed: Tencent (a ample investor successful Epic Games, Snap, and US tech companies) was put connected nan Pentagon’s blacklist for being allegedly nether nan powerfulness of nan Chinese military. Tim Cook’s total compensation roseate 18 percent past twelvemonth to $74.6 million. Elon Musk is hosting an inauguration statement for Trump successful DC pinch Uber and ThePress. Sam Altman’s sister revenge a intersexual maltreatment suit against him.

Job board

Some recent, noteworthy business changes successful nan tech world:

A bunch of changes astatine Meta: UFC CEO Dana White, Exor CEO John Elkann, and Charlie Songhurst joined nan board. Joel Kaplan is moving argumentation and comms now. After a stint astatine Google, I’m told Michael Levinson is coming backmost arsenic VP of merchandise for nan Integrity org. (Good luck!) Head of civilian rights, Roy Austin, is leaving. And erstwhile DEI main Maxine Williams is now caput of “accessibility and engagement.”
Elon Musk’s X named a mates of caller leaders: Romina Khananisho is nan caller caput of authorities affairs and John Nitti is caput of “ad innovation.”
Calista Redmon joined Nvidia arsenic VP of “global AI initiatives,” wherever she’ll “drive return of nan NVIDIA level for nationalist and location AI initiatives.”
Sophia Dominguez, Snap’s caput of AR platform, is leaving.