Washington, D.C. — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg don enter witness stand for landmark antitrust trial wey dey concern di company. As e dey testify, Zuckerberg reveal one proposal wey e make in 2022 wey go fit reset all Facebook users’ friends lists to boost engagement.
For di trial wey happen on Monday, emails wey show di internal discussions don surface. For di emails, Zuckerberg mention say im dey worry say Facebook dey lose cultural relevance quickly. E suggest say dem fit consider purging everyone’s friends lists, making dem start again from scratch.
According to reports, di idea come up as Zuckerberg express concern about di direction Facebook dey go. “Even if [Instagram] and [WhatsApp] dey do well,” he talk, “I don’t see a way for our company to succeed in di way we need if FB falters, so we need to get this right.”
Tom Alison, wey be di head of Facebook, no too gree with Zuckerberg’s idea. E respond say e no sure say di plan go work well given how important friends’ connections be to users on Instagram and di platform overall. “I’m not sure di idea go be viable,” Alison add.
As di lawyer from di Federal Trade Commission remind Zuckerberg about di crazy idea, Zuckerberg confirm say dem never implement am: “As far as I can tell, we never did that.”
Di ongoing trial fit determine if Meta go fit break up based on di allegations of monopoly. Facebook don dey face challenges due to wan aging user base, with younger users dey shift attention to Instagram and TikTok.
Zuckerberg, during his testimony, mention say di primary purpose of Facebook don change. “Di friend part don go down quite a bit,” he explain. E talk say di feed don turn to more of a discovery and entertainment space rather than just connecting with friends.
Despite di challenges, Facebook don launch wetin dem call a “friends tab,” wey go show posts wey friends share exclusively. E be like di company wan bring back di “magic” wey dey for di early days of social media. Alison express hope say dem dey prioritize dis for di platform: “This idea of having a central place of what’s going on with your friends, dat was like di magic of di early days of social media.”
Zuckerberg don also drop plans to bring di platform back to how e be in di past, saying, “I’m excited this year to get back to some OG Facebook.” Di outcome of di trial fit serious effect on how Meta go dey operate moving forward.
