Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook's 2018: We have modified, we promise
The Facebook CEO sums up the 12 months, masking all of the issues his firm's finished -- together with responding to an infinite string of scandals.
It is almost the brand new 12 months, which implies time for some reflection on what's occurred and what's to come back. For Fb CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which means trying again on one actually robust 12 months.
The 34-year previous wunderkind struggled this 12 months, in what's been arguably the hardest within the 14 years since co-founding Fb in his Harvard dorm room.
There was the Cambridge Analytica scandal, adopted by Zuckerberg's testimony on Capitol Hill, then an enormous hack affecting 29 million folks. And remember the bombshell report from The New York Occasions questioning each Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg's management. In only a brief couple of years, Zuckerberg has gone from attainable presidential contender to a parody on SNL. It has been tough.
In his year-end submit on Friday, Zuckerberg is optimistic, if slightly defensive.
He ticked off adjustments the corporate's made -- or, as he put it, "We have basically altered our DNA" -- to focus extra on dealing with the dangerous stuff that occurs on Fb. That features tackling Russian interference in our elections, stopping dangerous and bullying posts, and promising to present folks extra management over their knowledge. He additionally famous that Fb now has 30,000 folks engaged on security and harassment points, and it is investing billions of dollars in safety every year.
He acknowledged these points will take greater than a 12 months to repair. However he stated the corporate's began multiyear plans to deal with them. That does not imply he thinks Fb is absolutely on the ball. "Prior to now we did not focus as a lot on these points as we would have liked to, however we're now rather more proactive," he wrote.
"I've discovered lots from specializing in these points and we nonetheless have a variety of work forward," Zuckerberg added. "I am happy with the progress we have made in 2018 and grateful to everybody who has helped us get right here -- the groups inside Fb, our companions and the unbiased researchers and everybody who has given us a lot suggestions. I am dedicated to persevering with to make progress on these vital points as we enter the brand new 12 months."
That leaves Zuckerberg in an odd spot for his annual private problem, which over time has included every little thing from studying extra to studying Mandarin. Final 12 months, his problem was to construct private assistant software program like Jarvis, the comedian e book AI-sidekick for Iron Man. (Solely, as an alternative of being voiced by the Avengers film star Paul Bettany, Zuckerberg's was voiced by Morgan Freeman. As a result of, why not?)
Initially of this 12 months, Zuckerberg selected to make his annual problem about fixing Fb. By his personal measure, there's nonetheless work to be finished. Which is why some Twitter customers urged he attempt one thing much less daunting whereas he continues engaged on Fb.
zuckerberg is gonna pick an easier challenge next year, like doing a few pushups every day or something https://t.co/GgERr5v2IK
— Erin Griffith (@eringriffith) 28 Aralık 2018
Learn Zuckerberg's full submit beneath.