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Whistleblower Frances Haugen said Facebook’s ‘Meta’ rebrand showed the company had the wrong priorities
Whistleblower Frances Haugen issued a stinging rebuke of Facebook’s “Meta” rebrand on Monday, accusing the company of yet again prioritising expansion over people’s safety.
The former Facebook engineer, who leaked a trove of internal documents that have sparked weeks of criticism of the social media giant, also called on its chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to step down.
“Over and over again Facebook chooses expansion in new areas over sticking the landing on what they’ve already done,” she told an audience of tens of thousands in the Portuguese capital.
Facebook last month announced that it will hire 10,000 new staff in Europe over the next five years in its bid to build the metaverse, which would use virtual reality to make online experiences — like chatting to a friend, or attending a concert — feel face-to-face.
Critics have derided the rebrand as an attempted distraction from the avalanche of damaging revelations from Haugen’s leaked documents.
Haugen has accused Facebook of ignoring concerns raised by its own employees in the pursuit of profit.
Asked if Zuckerberg should step down, she said: “I think Facebook would be stronger with someone who’s willing to focus on safety, so yes.”
Haugen has testified before US and UK lawmakers in recent weeks, but the Web Summit — which she officially opened, with an explosion of confetti raining down from the ceiling — marked her first appearance before a wider public.
Facebook vice president Nick Clegg, who is due to address the Web Summit on Tuesday, will likely reject Haugen’s suggestion that the metaverse project equates to a mass investment in “video games”.
But Silicon Valley enthusiasts believe the metaverse could represent the next great leap in the evolution of the internet, eventually blurring the digital world seamlessly with the physical one, creating a wealth of new economic opportunities.
“I think some of the discussion will be, ‘how much of it is hype and how much of it is real?'” Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave told AFP.
Organisers have hailed the fact that host country Portugal enjoys one of the world’s highest vaccination rates.
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Facebook whistleblower calls on Mark Zuckerberg to step down as CEO
Frances Haugen said Facebook’s parent company, rebranded Meta last week, is unlikely to change if its founder remains in charge. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has delivered her strongest call yet for Mark Zuckerberg to step down as chief executive of his social media empire, saying the business will be better off with a leader who focuses on user safety.
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