Mark Zuckerberg has publicly praised former Meta Platforms Inc‘s (NASDAQ:META) COO Sheryl Sandberg despite reports suggesting he held her responsible for the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program.
What Happened: Zuckerberg took to Threads on Friday to commend Sandberg for her contributions to Meta. This comes after a recent report indicated that Zuckerberg had pointed fingers at Sandberg for the shortcomings of Meta’s DEI initiatives.
“Sheryl did amazing work at Meta and will forever be a legend in the industry. She built one of the greatest businesses of all time and taught me much of what I know,” Zuckerberg wrote in his post.
Sandberg, in turn, responded to Zuckerberg’s post, expressing her gratitude for their years of collaboration and his friendship.
Why It Matters: Meta recently announced the rollback of its DEI programs, a move that coincided with a meeting between Zuckerberg and Stephen Miller, an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump.
Zuckerberg is making efforts to mend fences with Trump, as evidenced by their meeting at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. This meeting, the second since the 2024 election, suggests a potential shift in the relationship between Meta and the incoming GOP administration.
Zuckerberg’s public support for Sandberg comes amid a series of significant changes at Meta. The company recently announced the end of its third-party fact-checking in favor of a community notes system.
This move was seen as a step towards restoring free expression on the platform, a direction that aligns with Trump’s stance on social media moderation.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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