Meta and Losing the Plot on Leadership

Mark Zuckerberg’s decision on January 7, 2025, to overhaul Meta’s content moderation strategy has really irked me. Here’s why.

First of all, it feels less like a commitment to free expression and more like a retreat from the demands of what a leader should stand for.

As someone who has positioned himself as a steward of global connectivity, I find this pivot simply a divergence into expediency. Some have called it “kissing the ring,” but I see it more as an abdication of community stewardship and the responsibility that comes with it.

Leadership is about embracing complexity and the chaos that ensues, not avoiding it.

Zuckerberg’s plan to replace fact-checkers with “community notes” transfers responsibility from professionals to the masses, where the loudest voices will drown out the most credible and marginalized ones. Furthermore, simplification doesn’t always mean progress.

Zuck is rolling the dice on whether truth can rise above harmful noise. You know it. I know it. The cesspool of social media and those loudest voices will run ruin over others.

To be honest, this decision isn't aimed at empowering users, but rather at relieving Meta of its responsibilities. When algorithms and anonymous contributors—hello, bots!—take over as the arbiters of truth, Meta conveniently sidesteps accountability while maintaining plausible deniability. That’s simply not leadership.

Removing barriers does not, in my opinion, foster more dialogue. It will turn platforms like Facebook into breeding grounds for misinformation and division. Perhaps further division. These forces thrive in the absence of checks and balances, growing stronger without oversight or intervention.

Leaders like Zuckerberg are responsible for protecting their systems’ integrity, even when it’s challenging. I think that delegating that responsibility undermines both trust and accountability.

The narrative that content moderation has been “too restrictive” misses the point. Misinformation destabilizes communities, foments division, and endangers lives. I wish social media—as perhaps was its original intent—was always a force for good.

Leadership requires balancing the ideals of free expression with the real-world need for accountability. Decisions driven by convenience (or ring kissing) rather than principles don’t just fail the moment; they set the stage for lasting harm.

History often judges those who trade integrity for expedience. (Just ask Neville Chamberlain and his policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany. Oh, wait a minute.)

Fostering open dialogue isn’t the same as enabling harm under the guise of free expression.

Meta risks exacerbating societal fractures by stripping away essential protections and offloading moderation onto users. The loudest voices won’t heal divisions; they’ll deepen them.

Trust is earned through deliberate, courageous decisions that safeguard both the platform and its users. Leadership isn’t about sidestepping challenges; it’s about confronting them head-on.

Meta’s course correction falls short. Zuck has not only face-palmed but also face-planted.

Leaders everywhere should demand better—from Zuckerberg, from Meta, and from themselves.

I left Facebook four years ago. I’m so glad I did.