The controversial board member received enough votes to stay back in the Facebook’s Board.
Advertisement
Zuckerberg was asked a couple of more politically themed questions by different shareholders at Facebook’s meeting on Monday, but he let other executives handle the answers.
Others said they cared only about Thiel’s business sense.
The billionaire tech entrepreneur secretly bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against the New York-based online media firm, eventually winning a huge judgment that led to the company to declare bankruptcy. In 2007, a Gawker site outed Thiel as being gay.
Facebook’s 32-year-old founder has chose to keep the controversial tech tycoon on the social network’s board, even as Zuckerberg switched up the company’s stock structure to ensure he keeps majority control.
“If we’re really serious about connecting everyone in the world, not just people who are on the internet today, then we need to really focus on helping to make sure everyone is on the internet, and today there are less than people around the world on the internet”, Zuckerberg said.
The WGAE sees the entrepreneur’s influence on Facebook as a further threat to the future of all media. Three months ago he confronted Disney CEO Bob Iger over alleged bias at ABC News while last week he congratulated Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes for allegedly allowing more conservatives to appear on CNN than it had in the past. Facebook vp of US public policy Joel Kaplan told Zuckerberg.
If you’re curious, you can listen to the full meeting here (the question about Zuckerberg’s daughter starts around the 48 minute mark). “If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it”.
Prior to the shareholder meeting, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg had already hinted that Thiel would remain on the company’s board. “Peter did what he did on his own”.
Given Facebook’s outspokenness in favor of free speech and tolerance, some felt that Zuckerberg should have removed Thiel from the board, as his presence represented an attack on Facebook’s values.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during his keynote address to kick off Facebook’s F8 developer conference at Fort Mason in San Francisco, California on Tues.
Finally, when asked whether his philanthropic efforts might distract him away from his work, Zuckerberg said he isn’t going anywhere.
Advertisement
Facebook Messenger is about to get an army of bots. Facebook did the wise thing by keeping him. “Thank you. That made my day”.
