Meta Is Worth $2tn as Two-Thirds of Americans Dislike Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg spent nearly an hour on stage at Meta's Connect developer conference last month without once mentioning Facebook or Instagram, the platforms that built the company into a $2tn business, according to BBC News North America technology correspondent Lily Jamali, who covered the keynote. Instead he introduced an agentic chatbot called Muse, a line of smart glasses and a Tamagotchi-style wearable, telling the audience that "building is an act of love."

That omission sits alongside a year in which Zuckerberg's personal standing has fallen while Meta's underlying business, by Jamali's account, keeps climbing.

How unpopular is Mark Zuckerberg right now?

Two-thirds of Americans held an unfavorable opinion of Zuckerberg, according to a Pew Research Center poll cited in the BBC report from last year. The number sits against a backdrop of legal filings, leaked internal emails and whistleblower testimony that personal injury lawyers and state prosecutors have used in court to argue Meta knowingly built addictive products for young users, per the BBC account.

What does "The Social Reckoning" accuse Meta of doing?

Aaron Sorkin's film "The Social Reckoning," released this week, dramatizes whistleblower claims that Meta executives knew their products were harming young people. Actor Jeremy Strong plays Zuckerberg as a "full-on villain," according to a Hollywood Reporter review quoted in the BBC's reporting, one who is "stoically arguing that even the slightest gesture of responsibility is anathema where money is concerned." Some observers describe the moment as Meta's "Big Tobacco" reckoning, Jamali writes, though she notes the comparison oversimplifies a more complicated picture.

How much has Meta paid out in lawsuits over child safety claims?

A California jury awarded $6m to a 20-year-old woman in March who claimed Instagram and YouTube use harmed her mental health, the BBC reported. New Mexico separately became the first state to win a lawsuit against the company, according to the same report. Reuters reporting cited by the BBC found Meta had allowed chatbots to engage children in "romantic or sensual" conversation and to supply false medical information; Meta has since revised those policies and said the responses should never have been permitted.

Why does Meta's business keep growing anyway?

Usage of Meta's apps continues to rise and users are already adopting its new AI assistant, Jamali reports, even as the legal and reputational pressure mounts. The pattern has prompted the question she poses directly: whether Meta has become something of a "Teflon" company, with scandals that fail to dent its growth.

What is the timeline of Meta's year of controversy?

• Last year: Pew Research Center finds two-thirds of Americans view Zuckerberg unfavorably.
• Last summer: Reuters reports Meta chatbots engaged children in romantic or sensual conversation and gave false medical advice; Meta revises its policies.
• March: A California jury awards $6m to a woman alleging Instagram and YouTube harmed her mental health; New Mexico wins its own suit against the company.
• Last month: Zuckerberg headlines Meta Connect, unveiling Muse and new hardware without naming Facebook or Instagram.
• This week: "The Social Reckoning," starring Jeremy Strong as Zuckerberg, opens in theaters.

Read the original BBC report for Lily Jamali's full reporting.