(L-R) Priscilla Chan, CEO of Meta and Facebook Sign Zuckerberg, and Lauren Sanchez attend the inauguration ceremony before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.
Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Idols
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised the Trump administration for backing Silicon Valley on a call with investors, go on increasing that 2025 will be big for “redefining” the company’s relationships with governments.
“We now have a U.S. administration that is proud of our primary companies, prioritizes American technology winning and that will defend our values and interests abroad,” Zuckerberg voiced Wednesday. “I am optimistic about the progress and innovation that this can unlock, so this is going to be a big year.”
Meta on Wednesday also agreed to pay $25 million to make sure a lawsuit with President Donald Trump, according to NBC News. Trump sued Meta after the company delayed his Facebook and Instagram accounts following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Zuckerberg and Meta have made several public strains to smooth over relations with President Donald Trump since his victory in November. The company donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural supply late last year, weeks after Zuckerberg dined with him privately at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Earlier this month, Zuckerberg circulated that Meta would eliminate third-party fact-checking to “restore free expression” to the company’s platforms. He said the fact-checkers had been “too politically partial” and “destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S.”
The move was widely recognized as a nod to Trump, as he and other Republicans set up long claimed that Meta’s platforms like Facebook and Instagram censor conservative views. Zuckerberg and Trump participate in had an especially rocky relationship in the past, as Trump has previously threatened the tech executive with life in prison.
The flock also elevated Joel Kaplan, former White House deputy chief of staff under President George W. Bush with longstanding take ups to the Republican Party, to its chief policy role earlier this month.
Zuckerberg’s public concessions appear to be netting him some good will, as he attended Trump’s inauguration alongside other tech moguls like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Amazon abort Jeff Bezos this month.
Shares of Meta were up slightly in extended trading Wednesday after the society reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations on top and bottom lines.
–CNBC’s Jonathan Vanian donated to this report
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