In a subsequent email three months later, apparently after the request was turned down, he asked for a reduced team of 32 staff. Sir Nick wrote that there was “increased urgency of all this”, adding: “This investment is important to ensure we have the product roadmaps necessary to stand behind our external narrative of wellbeing on our apps and soon in the metaverse”.
Mr Zuckerberg’s response was not recorded, but a separate Meta email said: “Nick did email Mark to emphasise his support for the package but it lost out to the various other pressures and priorities”.
Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal told Mr Zuckerberg: “Nick Clegg was pleading with you for resources to back up the narrative, to fulfil the commitments… you rejected that request.”
Mr Zuckerberg did not respond to the release of the emails directly although a spokesman said: “These cherry-picked documents do not provide the full context of how the company operates or what decisions were made.”
Meta’s chief executive appeared alongside Linda Yaccarino from X, Evan Spiegel from Snap, Shou Zi Chew from TikTok and Jason Citron from Discord for four hours in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms Yaccarino, Mr Spiegel and Mr Citron appeared only after legal demands from the committee.
Mr Zuckerberg, who has strived to appear deferential in previous US hearings, was visibly frustrated at questioning, telling Senator Tom Cruz: “Could you give me some time to speak?”
In response to Senator Marsha Blackburn’s claim that “you’re trying to be the premiere sex trafficking site”, he said: “That’s ridiculous.”
During an exchange with Senator Josh Hawley, Mr Zuckerberg stood up to address dozens of parents in the audience, some of whom held up pictures of teenagers who committed suicide following abuse on social media.
He told them: “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”
In a separate exchange, Mr Graham drew attention to the resignation of one of TikTok’s most senior Israeli employees and said the video app was being used “to destroy the Jewish state”.
Barak Herscowitz, a lobbyist in TikTok’s government relations team, said in a post on X: “I resigned from TikTok.
“We live in a time when our very existence as Jews and Israelis is under attack and in danger. In such an unstable era, people’s priorities are sharpened.”
The news website Jewish Insider reported that Mr Herscowitz had been behind an internal memo at TikTok accusing the company of bias against Israel during the conflict in Gaza.
Mr Graham told Mr Chew during Wednesday’s hearing: “Your representative in Israel quit the company, because TikTok is being used, in a way, to destroy the Jewish state.”
Mr Chew responded saying: “I need to make it very clear that pro-Hamas content and hate speech is not allowed on our platform or within our company.”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
