Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has rejected allegations by a former employee that the world’s largest social network is fueling its users’ anger out of profit. “The argument that we are intentionally promoting content to make people angry for money is deeply illogical,” Zuckerberg wrote on Tuesday on his Internet platform. “We make money from ads, and advertisers keep telling us that they don’t want their ads to be seen alongside harmful or angry content.” He doesn’t know of any tech company that makes products that make people angry or depressed.
“It’s hard to see coverage that misrepresents our work and our motivations. I think most of us just don’t recognize the wrong image that is painted of our company (…),” he wrote further in the communication to his employees, which he also published.
Zucherberg’s response came shortly after the whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, reported on her experience in the company and internal research in a Senate hearing. In their opinion, their evidence showed that the company puts profit first and at the same time fuels social divisions.