Mark Zuckerberg whined about leaks at Meta as company promised firings. It took minutes for the threat to leak out
In an internal memo, a company executive threatened to terminate those who leak information
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It took no time at all for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s complaints leaks and a company memo threatening to fire divulgers to, in fact, leak to the media.
“We try to be really open and then everything I say leaks,” Zuckerberg said during an internal conversation with the company. “It sucks.”
Shortly after, employees received an email warning about the potential consequences for those who leak or steal information, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge.
“We take leaks seriously and will take action,” Meta’s chief information security officer, Guy Rosen, wrote.
“When information is stolen or leaked, there are repercussions beyond the immediate security impact,” the memo continued. Those repercussions could include termination that Rosen said occurred recently with “employees who leaked confidential company information inappropriately and exfiltrated sensitive documents.”
This past month, Zuckerberg held an all-hands meeting for employees at Meta and expressed frustration over leaked information – such as the company axing “low performers” and getting rid of its diversity program, according to The Verge.
The company, which recently announced a series of eyebrow-raising changes as Zuckerberg cozies up to President Donald Trump, has reportedly made some internal changes to prevent leaks.
That includes changing the format of the all-hands meeting such as disabling comments during the live stream and skipping over questions that the company believes could be “unproductive” if leaked.
Seemingly, those changes have not been enough for the company to prevent people from leaking information to the press.
In a post on Meta’s internal version of Facebook for employees, Andrew Bosworth, the company’s chief technology officer, pointed to a story from The Verge about the all-hands call.
“I think this makes it clear it was the right call,” Bosworth reportedly wrote in the post to justify format changes to the all-hands call, The Verge reported.
The Independent has asked Meta for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments