Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, has pledged to maintain political neutrality for the 2024 election cycle.
In a letter to Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Monday, Zuckerberg stated his commitment to avoid any political bias or involvement, emphasizing, “My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another — or even appear to be playing a role,” according to Business Insider.
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Zuckerberg also confirmed he will not be making contributions to election infrastructure this year, a significant shift from 2020 when he and his wife donated $400 million. Those donations, criticized by Republicans as “Zuckerbucks” for supposedly benefiting Democrats, were scrutinized but a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found no evidence of partisan bias.
Zuckerberg reflected on past decisions, including content moderation pressures from the Biden administration and the controversial suppression of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s laptop in 2020, which he now acknowledges as a mistake.
This announcement comes amidst growing scrutiny of tech companies’ roles in politics. Donald Trump recently claimed that Zuckerberg assured him of no support for Democrats in 2024 following an assassination attempt on Trump. Trump also criticized Zuckerberg for a $2 million donation related to the Georgia elections board, suggesting it might violate state law.
The political landscape remains complex, with figures like Elon Musk, who has recently supported Trump despite previous moderate Democrat leanings. Musk’s political stance and its implications were discussed in a recent interview with Trump, covering topics from AI to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s campaign has criticized Musk for using his platform to advance Trump’s agenda, highlighting the deepening political divides and the significant influence of tech leaders.
