Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, once hailed as a dynamic duo, are now under scrutiny as the social media giant faces public backlash. They are being blamed for slow responses, deflecting blame and a lack of transparency in handling multiple crises. The company is accused of downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 US elections and concealing information about how Cambridge Analytica accessed user data.
In response, Zuckerberg and Sandberg initiated a robust lobbying campaign. They employed a Republican opposition-research firm to discredit protesters, while casting criticism as anti-Semitic. Facebook also lobbied a Jewish civil rights group to label some critics as anti-Semitic.
Zuckerberg maintains that Facebook is an idealistic and optimistic company. Employees, however, are questioning the leadership’s strategies and decisions. The company’s morale has taken a hit, with the stock price falling by more than 20 percent this year. Meanwhile, Sandberg assures that they are indeed focused on addressing the issues and are working hard to earn back the trust of the users.
The pressure is on for Zuckerberg and Sandberg to navigate Facebook through this crisis. The question remains whether their combined skills will be enough to restore public confidence in the social media behemoth.
Go to source article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/technology/facebook-crisis-mark-zuckerberg-sheryl-sandberg.html