The decline of Facebook is something that many people started to predict during the middle of the 2010s, when the social media platform became embroiled in a series of controversies that revealed the extent of the privacy violations that it often gleefully committed. However, are these problems inherent to the company, or are they byproducts of the decisions made by its controversial leader, Mark Zuckerberg?
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Frances Haugen, who gained notoriety as a whistleblower after exposing some of Facebook’s questionable algorithmic practices, thinks that the company can’t survive if Zuckerberg continues to lead it. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Haugen spoke out about how Zuckerberg has been surrounded by yes men since he started his career at the young age of 19, and that has led to him refusing to take opposing viewpoints seriously with all things having been considered and taken into account.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, he continues to hold a 56% share of Facebook’s total voting rights, something that can’t be seen in any other Big Tech company out there. Such voting power is concerning because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving Zuckerberg complete authoritarian control over the company, and since he thinks that there is nothing wrong with how it is operating it seems unlikely that it will be able to reverse its recent decline if steps aren’t taken to improve matters.
One of the things that Haugen spoke about was Facebook’s tweak to its algorithm in 2018 which resulted in inciting reactions from users. Since anger and outrage are some of the most potent emotions that anyone can feel, Facebook tried to promote content that would lead to people feeling these things in an attempt to boost engagement. This is just one example of how Facebook’s decisions that come from Zuckerberg are not sustainable and will inevitably result in its demise if changes are not made.
Read next: Facebook Set to Lose 1.4 Million Users This Year Amidst Rapid Decline
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Frances Haugen, who gained notoriety as a whistleblower after exposing some of Facebook’s questionable algorithmic practices, thinks that the company can’t survive if Zuckerberg continues to lead it. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Haugen spoke out about how Zuckerberg has been surrounded by yes men since he started his career at the young age of 19, and that has led to him refusing to take opposing viewpoints seriously with all things having been considered and taken into account.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, he continues to hold a 56% share of Facebook’s total voting rights, something that can’t be seen in any other Big Tech company out there. Such voting power is concerning because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving Zuckerberg complete authoritarian control over the company, and since he thinks that there is nothing wrong with how it is operating it seems unlikely that it will be able to reverse its recent decline if steps aren’t taken to improve matters.
One of the things that Haugen spoke about was Facebook’s tweak to its algorithm in 2018 which resulted in inciting reactions from users. Since anger and outrage are some of the most potent emotions that anyone can feel, Facebook tried to promote content that would lead to people feeling these things in an attempt to boost engagement. This is just one example of how Facebook’s decisions that come from Zuckerberg are not sustainable and will inevitably result in its demise if changes are not made.
Read next: Facebook Set to Lose 1.4 Million Users This Year Amidst Rapid Decline
