Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called on President-elect Donald Trump to provide greater protections to US tech companies operating overseas. The remarks came during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience on Friday.
The tech magnate asked Trump to stop EU countries from fining US companies for alleged antitrust violations. He claimed that businesses operating in Europe had been forced to pay “more than $30 billion” in penalties over the last two decades.
Zuckerberg’s comments come just a few days after it was announced that Meta would roll back its moderation policies in favor of a “Community Notes” model – much like that of X.
Zuckerberg Asks Trump for Protection from EU Fines
Mark Zuckerberg has asked Donald Trump to protect US tech companies from EU fines. Speaking on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, the Meta head honcho blasted foreign penalties imposed on companies operating in Europe, while accusing the Biden Administration of failing to resolve the situation.
In November 2024, Meta was hit with a fine of more than $800 million for breaching EU antitrust rules. In the last two decades, Zuckerberg claimed, US companies have been fined more than $30 billion for similar breaches.
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Said Zuckerberg: “I think it’s a strategic advantage for the US that we have a lot of the strongest companies in the world, and I think it should be part of the US strategy going forward to defend that.” He went on to express optimism that Trump “wants America to win,” and accused President Biden of leading the “attack against the companies,” as reported by Politico.
Meta Scraps Policies to Align With New Government
The Meta boss’s remarks come just a few days after it was announced that the conglomerate would change its content moderation policy. Last week, Zuckerberg posted a video explaining that the decision would encourage “more speech,” in a move widely deemed as an attempt to curry favor with the new administration.
In a similar vein, it was reported on Friday that Meta is axing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Janelle Gale, Vice President of Human Resources (HR) at Meta, said the “legal and policy landscape surrounding DEI efforts in the US is changing,” it was reported by CBS.
Undoubtedly, both of these moves form part of a wider alignment with the incoming administration. Trump, along with ally Elon Musk, have repeatedly claimed that free speech is under threat in America. In recent weeks, Musk has become embroiled in international disputes over what he views as efforts to silence “dissenting” voices in Germany and the UK.
Big Tech Companies Cozy Up to New President
With Trump closing in on the Oval Office, companies from across the tech sector have been readying themselves for the new administration. Last month, TikTok executives met the President-elect in an as-yet unsuccessful attempt to reverse the looming ban.
Shortly after his election victory in November 2024, leaders from several companies, including Amazon, Apple, and OpenAI, congratulated the Republican for seeing off competition from Kamala Harris. Zuckerberg wrote on Threads: ” We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country.”
It’s customary for Silicon Valley players to align themselves with a new administration – but many will sense the next four years poses an unmissable opportunity to make sizable gains in the domestic market. With Trump’s record on business, the outgoing government’s hardline stance on Big Tech, and the presence of Musk, there’s every reason to suspect the tech space could be set for a bountiful future.
