The Break Up Of The Social Media Giant – Facebook
It looks like Facebook might have to change its status to “It’s complicated” soon
Late last week, the co-founder of Facebook, Chris Hughes, called for the social media giant to be broken up. Chris Hughes said in a New York Times interview that he feels “a sense of anger and responsibility” for the decline in Facebook’s security and privacy policies, and the increase in hateful speech, misinformation and election meddling.
Who is getting the blame for all of this?
At the middle of Facebook’s continued troubles is Zuckerberg, a CEO that Hughes argues has too much “unchecked power”. The CEO can determine what people read and what is hate speech and what isn’t. He also has an incredible amount of wealth that gives him the ability to shut out any competitors by buying them out.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wields so much power that even one of the social network’s co-founders thinks it’s both “unprecedented” and “un-American.”
What would this “break up” mean?
Co-founder, Chris Hughes, has called for its subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp to be spun off, and future acquisitions banned for several years. Hughes argued that Facebook, and by extension its all-powerful CEO Mark Zuckerberg, suppresses competition by “acquiring, blocking or copying” others.
Zuckerberg has since responded to these accusations. He addressed Hughes’ comments during an interview with French broadcaster France 2. The Facebook CEO said that his main reaction to Hughes’ proposal is that “what he’s proposing we do isn’t going to do anything to help.”
The FTC declined to comment on whether it’s looking to break up Facebook. But if history is any indication, it would be a rare move.