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A lawyer says he dropped Meta as a client after what he called a 'descent into toxic masculinity' by Zuckerberg's company

Jan 15, 2025 - businessinsider.com
Stanford law professor Mark Lemley has dropped Meta as a client, citing CEO Mark Zuckerberg's recent changes as a "descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness." Lemley, who represented Meta in a 2023 AI copyright case involving comedian Sarah Silverman, expressed his disapproval of Zuckerberg's alignment with Elon Musk's strategies and opinions. Despite believing Meta is on the right side of the AI copyright dispute, Lemley announced on LinkedIn that he could no longer serve as their lawyer. He also mentioned altering his use of Meta products, including deactivating his Threads account and avoiding purchases from Facebook and Instagram ads, though he continues to value connections on Facebook.

Since the beginning of the year, Zuckerberg has implemented significant changes at Meta, such as eliminating third-party fact-checking in the US and reducing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He has expressed a desire for more "masculine energy" in corporate culture, aligning with Musk's views against DEI and content moderation. Politically, Zuckerberg's actions are increasingly mirroring Musk's, with Meta donating $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund and reversing Trump's ban from Facebook and Instagram. These moves contrast with Zuckerberg's previous stance in 2020 when he criticized Trump's rhetoric.

Key takeaways:

  • Stanford law professor Mark Lemley dropped Meta as a client due to Mark Zuckerberg's recent changes, which he described as "toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness."
  • Lemley represented Meta in a 2023 AI copyright case involving Sarah Silverman, where Meta was accused of violating copyright by training the Llama AI model on authors' books.
  • Zuckerberg's recent changes at Meta align more closely with Elon Musk's strategies, including reducing DEI initiatives and eliminating third-party fact-checking in favor of community notes.
  • Meta's political stance has shifted, with Zuckerberg's actions starting to mirror Musk's, including a $1 million donation to Trump's inauguration fund and reversing Trump's ban from Facebook and Instagram.
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