Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast where the two discussed shifting corporate culture in a wide-ranging extensive interview.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is done with “culturally neutered” elements of corporate America and is embracing “masculine energy” as DEI programs falter.
“It’s one thing to say we want to be kind of like welcoming and make a good environment for everyone and I think it’s another to basically say that ‘masculinity is bad,’ and I just think we kind of swung culturally to that part of the – the kind of – the spectrum,” Zuckerberg said during his recent interview with Joe Rogan.
Zuckerberg, who grew up with only sisters and now has only daughters, told Rogan that he wants women to succeed, but doesn’t think masculinity needs to be categorized as “toxic” for that to happen.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes a keynote speech during the Meta Connect annual event at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2024. (Reuters/Manuel Orbegozo / Reuters)
The tech billionaire credits martial arts for his change of heart when it comes to masculinity, telling Rogan that having something to do with his male friends where they can “beat each other” has been a “positive experience” for him.
“I think having a culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive,” Zuckerberg added.
The release of the episode of the Joe Rogan Experience came on the same day that Meta ended its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
The company reportedly cited changes in the “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts” in a memo from Meta’s vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale.
“The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others,” Gale wrote in the memo.
Signage outside Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Feb. 1, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Additionally, Meta’s policy overhaul included an order to remove tampons from men’s restrooms.
Meta also announced an end to its controversial fact-checking policies, with Zuckerberg saying “it’s time to get back to our roots of free expression on Facebook and Instagram.” Fact-checkers will be replaced by Community Notes that are “similar to X.”
The CEO also admitted that, despite trying “in good faith” to “address concerns” about misinformation online, there was “too much censorship” and called the recent presidential election a “cultural tipping point.” He blasted fact-checkers for being “too politically biased” and said they “destroyed more trust than they’ve earned.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg presents Orion AR Glasses, as he makes a keynote speech during the Meta Connect annual event, at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2024. (REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo)
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The tech giant will reportedly remove transgender and nonbinary customization themes from its Messenger app and will change its “Hateful Conduct” policies to allow criticism of gender identity, according to The New York Times.
Meta is not alone in this cultural shift away from DEI policies. Major companies have started rolling back their diversity programs in the wake of President-elect Trump’s decisive victory.
