Meta staff take time off with 'mental illness' after Mark Zuckerberg's 'MAGA makeover'

Mark Zuckerberg is facing a revolt from staff who are furious at his so-called 'MAGA makeover'.

One employee said 'It's total chaos internally at Meta right now. I'd call the mood shock and disbelief,' according to a report by 404 Media, which reviewed internal company message boards and interviewed current staff. The employee added: 'It’s embarrassment and shame that feels self-inflicted, different than mistakes the company has made in the past.'

The backlash comes after the Facebook founder said there was 'too much censorship' on Facebook and Instagram as he made a screeching U-turn to permit greater freedom of speech on the platforms. The move as been widely seen as a transparent effort to curry favor with president-elect Donald Trump, who the tech tycoon has visited at least twice since the election.

Facebook and Instagram will allow users to call gay and transgender people mentally ill, according to updated guidelines published as part of a wider policy overhaul.

One employee voiced their distress at the changes on an internal Meta forum, posting: 'I am LGBT and mentally ill. Just to let you know that I'll be taking time out to look after my mental health.'

Policies protecting individuals and groups from hate speech tied to protected characteristics, as well as restrictions against referring to transgender or nonbinary individuals as 'it', have also been scrapped. 

Zuckerberg framed the changes to moderation policies as 'a return to Meta's roots of championing free expression'. He made the announcements last week in a video in which he appeared to be wearing a $900,000 watch.

Another staff member told 404: 'No one is excited or happy about these changes. And obviously the employees who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community are especially unhappy and feel the most unsupported in this.' 

'A small number of people are taking time off and are sharing that they are considering leaving the company due to this change,' they said.

'Morale of fellow queer employees is in the absolute sh*tter, surprising no one,' a third employee told the outlet.

It comes as Meta announced it would be firing thousands of 'low performing' employees. The layoffs are expected to affect around five per cent of the company's 72,000 staff.

'I've decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low performers faster,' Zuckerberg said, noting that the goal is to retain 'the strongest talent' while creating room to 'bring new people in.

Zuckerberg also announced that his platforms will transition to a community-driven system, modeled after X's 'Community Notes'. On X users can propose 'notes' on content, with a select group voting the prominence that these should be given. Previously Meta paid for fact-checking partners such as Reuters and AFP to review content.

Zuckerberg has also faced a backlash to the changes from outside the company. Mark Lemley, a renowned intellectual property attorney and Stanford Law professor, severed ties with Meta. 

Lemley had represented the company in a high-profile copyright lawsuit involving authors such as Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, a case with far-reaching implications for AI and copyright law.

In a Bluesky thread he expressed discontent with Meta's trajectory, describing it as a 'descent into toxic masculinity and Neo-Nazi madness.' 

Although he believes Meta has a strong case in the copyright lawsuit, Lemley stated, 'I cannot in good conscience serve as their lawyer any longer.'

Lemley further criticized Zuckerberg's remarks on Joe Rogan's podcast, where the CEO lamented a decline in 'masculine energy' within corporate culture. 

In response, Lemley wrote, 'Oh yeah, that's the problem with tech companies — not enough testosterone,' with an accompanying eye-roll emoji.

As part of a growing trend among tech leaders, Meta has joined companies like Amazon, Apple, and OpenAI in donating $1 million each to President-elect Donald Trump's second inaugural fund.

Meta also announced UFC President Dana White, a prominent Trump supporter, as a new member of its board of directors.

GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy group, has strongly condemned the moderation policy changes. 'Without these necessary hate speech and other policies, Meta is giving the green light for people to target LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups with violence, vitriol, and dehumanizing narratives,' said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. 

DailyMail.com has approached Meta for comment.