Zuckerberg’s power is ‘unprecedented and unAmerican’ says Facebook co-founder
Chris Hughes says the company, and its CEO, is too powerful and should be broken up, something some politicians agree with
New York — Chris Hughes, who co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg from their Harvard dorm room, says the company has become too powerful and influential and should be broken up. “Mark’s power is unprecedented and unAmerican,” Hughes wrote on Thursday in an opinion piece in the New York Times. “It is time to break up Facebook.” Hughes, who hasn’t worked at the social media company in more than 10 years, says Zuckerberg’s influence “is staggering, far beyond that of anyone else in the private sector or in government”, and his focus on growth led the CEO to “sacrifice security and civility for clicks”. Facebook and other giant technology companies have come under increasing scrutiny in the US and Europe for the sheer volume of personal data they have collected on people using their platforms. Recent controversies have focused on their vulnerability to manipulation and spreading “fake news”, as well as their use as forums for hate speech and fomenting violence. US senator Elizabeth ...
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