OAKLAND, California: A former engineering director at Meta Platforms META.O testified on Wednesday that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture that treated child safety as secondary to growth and engagement on Facebook and Instagram.
Arturo Bejar, a vocal Meta critic, made the allegation during his second day of testimony in a landmark trial over claims brought by a coalition of states that could reshape Facebook and Instagram, some of the most popular apps on the planet.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey accuse Meta of designing the platforms to hook young users, fueling anxiety, depression and even suicide, and misleading consumers about their safety.
Those states and 25 others also accuse Meta of violating federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data of children under 13 while they used its platforms. The trial began on Tuesday and is expected to last six weeks. Zuckerberg is expected to testify.
Bejar, the states’ first witness, said Zuckerberg was closely involved in much decision-making, and the company’s top-down culture ensured that product design changes would occur only if he ordered them.
“If Mark makes something a priority, mountains move in months,” Bejar said.
Bejar also disputed an October 2021 response Zuckerberg made to allegations by whistleblower Frances Haugen that Meta knew its products were unsafe for children and knew how to make them safe, but did nothing in order to pursue higher profits. Zuckerberg said at the time that Meta constantly used research to improve its products.
“It’s so false, every part of it,” Bejar said. “You just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids.”
Bejar worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015, and helped examine the well-being of teenage Instagram users while employed as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021. He said he was not working directly with Zuckerberg at the time, and as an outside contractor lacked access to some resources.
————————————————
