Get All Access for $5/mo

Mark Zuckerberg Reveals His '20-Year Mistake' One thing is for sure, Meta's CEO is done apologizing.

By Sarah Jackson

Key Takeaways

  • Mark Zuckerberg recently talked about one of the biggest regrets of his career.
  • At a live show of the "Acquired" podcast this week, he said he'd made a "20-year mistake."
  • He suggested Facebook had apologized needlessly because of people "looking for someone to blame."
Chris Unger | Getty Images via Business Insider
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook has been accused of issues it wasn't responsible for.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

Mark Zuckerberg is opening up about one of his biggest regrets from his two decades of running Facebook, now Meta.

During a sold-out live show of the "Acquired" podcast at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday, Zuckerberg described making a "20-year mistake" of taking responsibility for issues for which he believed Meta wasn't to blame.

But Zuckerberg, with some newfound swagger and a new T-shirt he designed, kicked things off by saying he was done apologizing, TechCrunch reported.

"One of the things that I look back on and regret is I think we accepted other people's view of some of the things that they were asserting that we were doing wrong, or were responsible for, that I don't actually think we were," the Meta chief said, according to Casey Newton's Platformer.

A recording of the full interview hasn't been released.

"When it's a political problem … sometimes there are people who are operating in good faith who are identifying a problem and want something to be fixed, and there are people who are just looking for someone to blame," he continued, according to Newton.

Meta has frequently faced criticism, including over Facebook's role in fueling an ethnic cleansing in Myanmar; the Cambridge Analytica scandal; the proliferation of misinformation and foreign influence campaigns on Facebook around elections; and the mental health of minors who use social media.

Zuckerberg has testified — and apologized — before Congress multiple times.

"Honestly, I think we should have been firmer about and clearer about which of the things we actually felt like we had a part in and which ones we didn't," Zuckerberg said at the podcast event, according to Newton. "And my guess is if the IPO was a year-and-a-half mistake, I think that the political miscalculation was a 20-year mistake."

Zuckerberg said that as a result, Meta has a ways to go in rehabilitating its image. "I think it's going to take another 10 years or so for us to fully work through that cycle before our brand is back to the place that it maybe could have been if I hadn't messed that up in the first place," he added.

Early this year, in his eighth appearance before Congress — this time for a hearing on children's safety online — Zuckerberg was grilled by a Senate committee before GOP Sen. Josh Hawley urged him to face families in attendance whose kids had been harmed on social media.

Zuckerberg stood and told the families, "No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered, and this is why we invested so much." Families held photos of their children in the air as Zuckerberg spoke.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zuckerberg has revamped his image in the past couple of years, switching up his style, getting fit, and being more personal in his social-media posts — with a hearty dose of self-deprecating humor and memes. He's also feuded with Elon Musk and has said he doesn't plan to be as involved publicly with politics this election cycle or to endorse a candidate.

"Being awkward and getting negative feedback on how I came across definitely made me more careful and scripted," Zuckerberg said in a post on Threads in July. "Still not my best thing, but getting a bit more comfortable just being me as I get older."

As the Facebook cofounder enters his 40s and reflects on his decades at the helm of Facebook, one thing is increasingly clear: Zuckerberg is in his unapologetic era.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Science & Technology

5 Rule-Bending AI Hacks to Make Your Mornings More Productive and Profitable

By 2025, AI will transform productivity by streamlining workflows and cutting costs. Major companies like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI are leading the way, advancing AI into "Phase 3," where tools act as digital assistants. Discover 5 AI hacks to boost efficiency and redefine your daily routine.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Marketing

5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Giving a Presentation

Are you tired of enduring dull presentations? Over the years, I have compiled a list of common presentation mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are my top five tips.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Science & Technology

5 Automation Strategies Every Small Business Should Follow

It's time we make IT automation work for us: streamline processes, boost efficiency and drive growth with the right tools and strategy.