Facebook co-founder mystified by Zuckerberg's new politics

Politico

19-05-2025

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DRIVING THE DAY — Authorities identified the suspect in the bombing of a Palm Springs fertility clinic as Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of Twentynine Palms, the AP reports. He is said to have died in the explosion, which injured four other people.
THE BUZZ: YOU'VE CHANGED — Chris Hughes and Mark Zuckerberg were college roommates at Harvard when they founded Facebook roughly two decades ago. But, today, Hughes said he struggles to reconcile his former friend's pro-Trump political shift.
Hughes said Zuckerberg was 'left of center' when the two and a core group of friends launched the campus networking site that became Silicon Valley's most successful social startup. Zuckerberg, now CEO of parent company Meta, has since pivoted rightward, especially in recent months. Meta has scrapped the company's DEI initiatives and fact-checkers program, and contributed $1 million to President Donald Trump's inauguration. And Zuckerberg has frequently met in private with the president.
'It's more just mystifying,' Hughes told Playbook, during an exclusive interview. 'I haven't talked to him in so long that I don't feel like I know the person.'
Hughes was in the Bay Area last week for a book tour to promote his new title. It was his first return to Silicon Valley since Trump won the election — and, not surprisingly, he repeatedly found himself fielding questions about Zuckerberg's politics. The Meta CEO has recently become a poignant example of a tech executive who's embraced Trump in his second term. Other CEOs who've made similar accommodations, though in far less personal ways, include Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Apple's Tim Cook.
During an appearance at the Commonwealth Club, Hughes told the audience that he suspects Zuckerberg is cozying up to Trump because it offers an opportunity 'for increased growth' and a chance to potentially convince the Federal Trade Commission to drop its antitrust case that threatens to break up Meta.
Hughes elaborated on Zuckerberg's pivot afterward, during an interview at a sushi restaurant nearby. He theorizes that his former roommate was likely 'alienated' by how aggressively the Biden administration criticized Big Tech. He said the rift fueled what seems to have become a cultural break between the Democratic Party and Zuckerberg, as well as other prominent male tech executives.
'That sort of coalesced with his lurch to reclaim masculinity, which they're all very excited about,' Hughes said sarcastically, referring to Zuckerberg's recent comments on the Joe Rogan podcast, where he said companies should have a culture that celebrates 'masculine energy' and aggression.
Meta declined to comment. Hughes' comments are the latest in a longstanding public break from Zuckerberg, whom he hasn't spoken with in six years. In 2019, Hughes called for breaking up Facebook in an op-ed in The New York Times, arguing the 2016 presidential election and the Cambridge Analytica scandal opened his eyes to the platform's danger. Hughes left the company in 2007, but amassed a $500 million fortune when it went public.
He now chairs the Economic Security Project, a progressive advocacy group. Hughes was in the Bay Area to promote his new book, 'Marketcrafters,' in which he chronicles the history of America's modern economy and asserts that its dominance has been rooted in strategic government intervention to shape markets and drive innovation.
Highlights from Hughes' interview with Playbook (responses have been condensed and edited for clarity):
On why the FTC hasn't dropped its antitrust case against Meta: 'There are competing strands in the Republican Party and in the Trump administration. Some of them genuinely, really do care about antitrust and want markets to be more competitive and want to reign in corporate power. But then, of course, there's Trump himself and [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent, who are people who I think have no meaningful investment in antitrust enforcement. That's why it's unclear where it will go.'
On his book and why Democrats would embrace ambitious market intervention: 'Americans don't like Trumponomics. Consumer sentiment is way down, investor uncertainty is way up, inflation expectations are way up. The challenge now is to come up and explain what a new agenda that lowers costs for families and raises wages can be. To be honest, it's not enough to just say, 'We're gonna lower the cost of housing.' We're making a little progress, but we've got a lot more to do. Changing the laws in an ongoing way is different than saying, 'Hey, we have a clear mission: build a million units of housing. This institution is responsible for it. We're funding it to do this industrial policy. This kind of housing construction fund. And then if it doesn't do it, we're gonna hold it accountable.''
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WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
SILICON VALLEY
MAYORAL AMBITION — San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan delivered his annual State of the City speech over the weekend, an address that focused on his call to more aggressively confront the homelessness crisis and other problems that threaten to hobble the Bay Area's economic growth.
Mahan advocated for his proposal to arrest homeless people who repeatedly refuse shelter, which has been criticized by some fellow Democrats.
'Some call it civil liberty. We know it's a moral failure,' Mahan said of policies that prohibit intervention when homeless people choose to stay on the street. 'Some call it progressive. We know it's anything but.'
More highlights from Mahan's speech:
On public safety in the city: 'Over the past three years, our detectives have solved every single homicide. From 2022 through 2024, we've achieved a 100 percent solve rate.'
On population growth: 'There's been a lot of talk about our residents moving to Texas, but Austin, you have a problem: they are coming back. We just retook our place as the 12th largest city in the nation.'
On pro hockey staying in the city: 'Sharks, for the last 30 years you've helped define San Jose's identity. I can't wait to watch you continue to do so on and off the ice for the next 25.'
STATE CAPITOL
HEAVY DOSE OF PUSHBACK — Resistance is quickly mounting to Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposal to pare back health care benefits for undocumented immigrants, including capping enrollment and requiring low-income Medi-Cal recipients to share the costs of their care.
The California Latino Legislative Caucus, which made protecting undocumented immigrants' access to the program a priority this year, is planning to rally alongside immigrant and health advocates in Sacramento on Monday in protest of the proposal. And progressive LA City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez last week introduced a resolution condemning the move.
'This is bad budgeting. Undocumented Californians will still get sick, they'll still need to go to the ER, and then taxpayers will have to pay much more than what we're talking about now,' Soto-Martínez said in a statement.
CLIMATE AND ENERGY
LEERY ON LCFS — Assemblymember David Alvarez has his sights set on the low-carbon fuel standard — the hot-button rule that sparked a debate over gas prices last year. Read Friday's California Climate for the latest on how Alvarez's Assembly committee is scrutinizing the program and his plans for making transportation more affordable.
Top Talkers
LOSING FRIENDS — Budget deficits are threatening to mar Newsom's final years in office. By pushing to cut spending, he has already alienated health care allies and may anger others whose support could be needed should he run for president in 2028, our Jeremy B. White reports.
'Through no fault of his own, the governor's going to have to navigate through a very difficult time,' said Democratic political consultant Darry Sragow. 'He's going to have to make very hard decisions and be prepared to take a lot of heat. He may lose friends, he may lose political standing.'
BOOK BATTLE — The library left is fighting back in Huntington Beach, where officials stripped librarians of the authority to decide what they place on shelves. Our Emily Schultheis dug into a campaign to reverse that decision and prevent the city's library from being privatized. Librarians across the country are watching as they consider how to engage in politics.
'We're watching Huntington Beach closely,' said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. 'We've traditionally looked to the courts to preserve our civil liberties, but in a time when litigation takes years, it might be more effective to go to the ballot box … to preserve the freedom to read and prevent censorship at local libraries.'
AROUND THE STATE
— Mayor Karen Bass is still optimistic that Los Angeles might receive state funding to address its budget deficit — even after Newsom did not include aid in his May budget proposal. (Los Angeles Times)
— Trump has tapped Craig Missakian, a Southern California lawyer who worked on the Republican-led committee that investigated the 2012 Benghazi attack, to be the next U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. (The San Francisco Standard)
— General Motors was once all-in on electric vehicles. But now, it aims to aggressively lobbying senators to nullify California's EV mandate with scripted talking points as EV sales slow. (The Wall Street Journal)
PLAYBOOKERS
NAMING NAMES — Mayor Bass has named her picks to serve on the city's charter reform commission, as well as a new executive director to steer the effort. Her appointments to the panel — Robert Lewis, Raymond Meza, Melinda Murray, and Christina Sanchez — need to be confirmed by the City Council, but once they're approved, the commission will finally have a quorum and can start its work of examining potential changes the city's main governing document. The charter reform effort — the first one in decades that was launched in response to a string of City Hall scandals — could have major implications for the way Los Angeles operates. Reform advocates are hoping the commission can complete its work in time for potential changes to be put before voters on next November's ballot.
— Melanie Mason
PEOPLE MOVES — Matt Sturges is now VP of federal affairs at LA28, opening and leading the organizing committee's office in D.C. He previously was a senior adviser at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is a Transportation Department alum.
BIRTHDAYS — former state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson … Francis Barraza at the San Diego Housing Commission … Crosby Armstrong at the Entertainment Software Association … Zack Thornton … Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors …
BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Sunday): POLITICO's Melanie Mason (favorite cocktail: rye old fashioned) … Gabrielle Shea at Visa … attorney Linda Mayman … Dan Garon … Fay Sliger at Apple …
(was Saturday): former Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) … journalist Rebecca Nelson Kay … Kinney Zalesne at the DNC.
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