Mark Zuckerberg Apology Stuns Congress
During a Senate hearing on child exploitation on social media, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shocked the assembled crowd.
Missouri senator Josh Hawley asked Zuckerberg if he had apologized to the assembled families whose children had been victims of exploitation. In response, the accidental billionaire stood up, turned and took the opportunity to do so.
JUST IN: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stands and apologizes to families of children who suffered using his social media platforms during a hearing on protecting children online. https://t.co/bATUsdSIPL pic.twitter.com/gEOFg7y8bc
— ABC News (@ABC) January 31, 2024
It was quite an actual, human moment from the kind of hearing we usually only get brief soundbites from.
CNN's Dana Bash pointed out just how monumental that moment was:
CNN's Dana Bash reacts to Mark Zuckerberg being coaxed during Senate hearing to turn around and apologize to families:
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 31, 2024
"Wow, what we all just saw live on television is going to be a moment for the ages." pic.twitter.com/PbEfTIfinb
It was pretty stunning. Usually CEOs hauled before congress just dodge, deflect and deny any wrongdoing. While throughout the hearing Zuckerberg did attempt to showcase the work Meta had done to limit the kind of child exploitation the hearing was targeting, when this moment came around he stood up and apologized. It was a really fascinating turn of events.
The rest of the hearing has been a bit bonkers. At one point Ted Cruz grilled the CEO of TikTok about Tiananmen Square while also referring to the platform as "Tic Tac" and there have been several other WTF moments. Zuckerberg's apology is what everyone will remember.