Facebook founder: ‘Break it up’
May 10, 2019
A co-founder of Facebook has called for the US government to break up the company, warning that its power is “unprecedented and un-American”.
Chris Hughes wrote in the New York Times that Facebook’s acquisition of rival platforms had given its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, unparalleled power over speech and that, from the early days of Facebook, Zuckerberg had touted “domination” as an ultimate goal.
“Mark’s influence is staggering, far beyond that of anyone else in the private sector or in government. He controls three core communications platforms – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – that billions of people use every day. We are a nation with a tradition of reining in monopolies, no matter how well intentioned the leaders of these companies may be. Mark’s power is unprecedented and un-American,” wrote Hughes. “It is time to break up Facebook.”