- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced he will not endorse either Trump or Biden and plans to stay out of the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
- Despite his previous criticisms of Trump’s posts, Zuckerberg hopes Meta’s role in the election will be less influential this time around.
OUR TAKE
Mark Zuckerberg has refused to endorse Donald Trump or Joe Biden and said he does not plan to get involved in the upcoming U.S. presidential election in any way. Zuckerberg’s comments come as several influential figures in Silicon Valley, including Tesla boss Elon Musk and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, have endorsed Trump for president.
-Rae Li, BTW reporter
What happened
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in a Bloomberg News report that he will not support any of the US presidential candidates and that he has no plans to participate in the upcoming US election.
Zuckerberg mentions in an interview that Trump’s reaction after the shooting demonstrated his “tough guy” image which helps explain his appeal to voters. However, Meta has repeatedly pointed out that Trump’s posts on the platform contain misleading information and suspended his Facebook and Instagram accounts for about two years after the January 2021 congressional riots. He also says Meta is making changes with a view to Facebook not being at the centre of controversy in future elections and wants its service to play a smaller role in this election.
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Why it’s important
Zuckerberg’s decision reflects the neutral stance that tech giants are taking in a politically sensitive time and their commitment to reducing the role of their platforms in political communication. It can be implications for the upcoming elections and raise new discussions about the role and responsibility of social media in political dialogue.
