"The way out is through. I believe the only way forward
is to keep working," Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told employees,
according to audio of the address heard by Reuters.
Zuckerberg acknowledged that criticism of Facebook had hurt
staff morale, saying public scrutiny "comes with the territory." But
he also struck a defiant tone, arguing that at least some of the pushback came
from rivals or those with an interest in tarnishing Facebook's reputation.
"We also have to recognize that we have many
competitors, and there are people who believe that their success depends on us
failing. So it's important that we don't just reflexively accept all
criticism," he said.
Critics have blasted Facebook this year over its hands-off
approach to speech on its services, including in a rare walkout by staff
accusing Zuckerberg of inadequately policing U.S. President Donald Trump's
posts.
The world's biggest social network also grappled with an
advertiser boycott this summer over its handling of hate speech, the spread of
violent rhetoric around the U.S. presidential election in November and a
brewing fight with regulators over alleged anticompetitive behavior.
Despite those headwinds, Zuckerberg and other executives who
spoke at Tuesday's sessions, including Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and
Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer, largely tried to keep the focus on
technology and product priorities.
Zuckerberg said he would be "particularly focused"
on technologies that deliver "a deeper sense of presence," like
augmented and virtual reality.
He also said the company had a "unique opportunity
around commerce and payments," as well as building tools that would enable
collaboration between people working remotely.
Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who has played a
less prominent public role with Facebook than in previous years, closed the
session by thanking employees for adapting to remote working arrangements
prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
She said about 20,000 new employees joined the company this
year, including 17,000 hired after the pandemic's start who had never set foot
in a Facebook office.
Reuters
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