Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has ignited a firestorm of debate following an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he argued that corporate culture has become too “neutered” by moving away from “masculine energy,” Bloomberg reports.
The interview, released Friday, also saw Zuckerberg criticize the Biden administration, express optimism about Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and comes amidst controversial policy shifts at Meta.
“Masculine energy I think is good, and obviously society has plenty of that, but I think that corporate culture was really trying to get away from it.” Zuckerberg said. He added, “It’s like you want feminine energy, you want masculine energy. I think that that’s all good. But I do think the corporate culture sort of had swung toward being this somewhat more neutered thing.”
Zuckerberg later spoke of his passion for mixed martial arts and hunting invasive pigs in Hawaii.
Zuckerberg, who began his career by creating a website that rated the attractiveness of women at Harvard, also emphasized the need for women to succeed in corporations. He acknowledged that companies might feel “too masculine” for women and stressed the need for diverse workplaces.
The podcast’s release followed a series of controversial policy changes at Meta. Just days prior, Meta loosened its content moderation policies, allowing more lenient criticism of immigrants, transgender and nonbinary people, and exclusionary statements based on sex or gender. Meta also announced the end of third-party fact-checking in the US, and halted many internal diversity training and hiring efforts
In the interview, Zuckerberg also expressed discomfort with traditional media, describing podcasts as a “sea change in terms of who are the voices that matter.” This sentiment echoes the “podcast election” seen last year, where then-candidate Donald Trump, also a Rogan guest, bypassed traditional media to reach voters.
Zuckerberg has been seen to be aligning himself with Trump, having had dinner with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago, and plans to attend his inauguration. He also publicly praised Trump, donated to his inaugural fund, and appointed a key supporter to Meta’s board.
In contrast, Zuckerberg was sharply critical of the Biden administration, claiming White House officials “scream” and “curse” at Meta employees over COVID-19 content moderation. He said the administration overstepped in its requests to take down posts, including satire, causing public distrust. Zuckerberg also argued that “The US government should be defending its companies, not be at the tip of the spear attacking its companies.”
President Joe Biden, in a rare Friday evening press conference, responded to Meta’s decision regarding content moderation. He expressed dismay, stating that it’s “completely contrary to everything America is about” and “shameful.”
