Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday the U.S. now has an administration that "prioritizes American technology winning" and that he is looking forward to "redefining" the relationship his company has with governments.
Zuckerberg's comments, during Meta's fourth-quarter earnings call, came on the same day the tech giant reportedly agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after the company suspended his accounts following the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
"This is also going to be a big year for redefining our relationship with governments," Zuckerberg said, according to The Hill.
"We now have a U.S. administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizes American technology winning, and that will defend our values and interests abroad. And I am optimistic about the progress and innovation that this can unlock."
Zuckerberg has been trying to mend fences with Trump since Election Day in November. He visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where Trump reportedly brought up over dinner the litigation and suggested they try to resolve it.
Earlier this month, Meta eliminated its fact-checking program, which started in 2016 and was often touted by the company as a way to prevent misinformation and disinformation on its platforms.
Meta also made a $1 million donation to Trump's inaugural committee, and Zuckerberg was among several Big Tech billionaires who attended Trump's swearing-in ceremony Jan. 20 at the Capitol Rotunda, along with Google's Sundar Pichai; Amazon's Jeff Bezos; and Elon Musk, who owns X, Tesla, and SpaceX.
Regarding the settlement, $22 million will go toward a fund for Trump's presidential library, with the rest going to legal fees and other plaintiffs who signed on to the case, The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that Meta won't admit to wrongdoing.
Trump signed the settlement agreement Wednesday in the Oval Office. A Meta spokesman confirmed the settlement to the Journal.
Meta said in a news release that it expects first-quarter earnings in 2025 to be in the range of $39.5 billion to $41.8 billion, a year-over-year growth of 8% to 15%.
"While we are not providing a full year 2025 revenue outlook, we expect the investments we are making in our core business this year will give us an opportunity to continue delivering strong revenue growth throughout 2025," the company said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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