Sources: Zuckerberg told Stephen Miller that he would do nothing to obstruct Trump's agenda and blamed Sheryl Sandberg for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook

Stephen Miller was the architect of Donald J. Trump's hard-line immigration agenda in his first term.

New York Times 2025-01-17

Context & Ripple Effects

The report follows an account of Zuckerberg's post-Thanksgiving effort to remake Meta after meeting with Trump. It extends a long-running body of coverage in which Zuckerberg's approach to the administration has been treated as a consequential management issue, not simply a content-moderation dispute.

Earlier reporting described Meta leaving up Trump's inflammatory posts and a pragmatic relationship with the prior Trump administration. The new account matters because it frames political accommodation and internal blame as part of the company’s leadership posture.

First-order effects

The reported assurance gives Trump-aligned officials a basis to view Zuckerberg as unlikely to use Meta’s corporate position to oppose the administration’s agenda; it does not, by itself, establish a specific policy concession.
By attributing an inclusivity initiative to Sandberg, Zuckerberg reportedly distances his current leadership from that initiative and concentrates accountability for Meta’s political posture at the top.

Second-order effects

Meta employees, advertisers, and advocacy groups are likely to scrutinize future policy and enforcement decisions for evidence that they follow the reported posture, especially after the company’s earlier decision to retain Trump’s inflammatory posts.
The account increases pressure on rival platforms to clarify whether their own government engagement is limited to lobbying and compliance or extends to broader political alignment.

Third-order effects

If this pattern persists, platform governance could become more founder-led and dependent on direct relationships with political power, rather than on durable public rules and internally debated policies.
That shift would make changes in an administration’s priorities more consequential for how large platforms define neutrality, inclusion, and institutional independence.

The trend: Big-platform leaders are increasingly treating direct political relationships as a core input to corporate governance and policy positioning.

Discussion

@edzitron.com Ed Zitron on bluesky
Yeah dude the former summers treasury McKinsey Google lady was what turned Meta woke [embedded post]
@caseynewton Casey Newton on bluesky
I wrote about Zuckerberg renouncing Sheryl Sandberg's effort to make Meta a better place for women and people of color to work www.platformer.news/zuckerberg- b... [image]
@katienotopoulos Katie Notopoulos on bluesky
The anecdote in the story about how powerful Stephen Miller is about Zuck knifing Sheryl and blaming her for DEI is interesting bc you can assume that stoy didn't come from Meta. The Trump administration, esp in 2017 was SO LEAKY, just constant leaks! A throwback! www.nytimes.c…
@mims Christopher Mims on bluesky
Zuckerberg met with Stephen Miller at Mar-a-Lago — * indicated he would do nothing to impede Trump's war on immigration and DEI — * blamed his company's culture on Sheryl Sandberg — * added that a cultural reset at Meta + layoffs were coming — www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u…
@terilg Teri G on bluesky
Stephen Miller was the architect of Donald J. Trump's hard-line immigration agenda in his first term. Now he is back with fewer internal rivals and even more influence with the president. — www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u... Beat the paywall: archive.ph/p8iP9
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on bluesky
It's impressive just how much these guys are really... er... leaning in to the “yes, we really are just a bunch of assholes” phase of oligarchy [embedded post]
@accountabletech @accountabletech on bluesky
Hey Meta advertisers, — Are you cool with your dollars going to prop up the whims of a white nationalist? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u...
@melissagiragrant.com Melissa Gira Grant on bluesky
I would feel bad, but Sheryl Sandberg above anyone would know exactly what she was getting/leaning into by agreeing to join Facebook's management clean-up crew—perhaps even the size of the bus she would inevitably be thrown under. [embedded post]
@lorak Lora Kolodny on bluesky
Material nonpublic info shared right with Stephen Miller et al? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u...
@katjadiehl Katja Diehl on bluesky
Is this this “masculinity thing”? — I think, it is. — Zuckerberg blamed his former COO, Sheryl Sandberg, for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook that encouraged employees. He said new guidelines and a series of layoffs amounted to a reset and more changes are coming. — w…
@nytceciliakang Cecilia Kang on bluesky
Before Zuck2.0, he said he was all-in on Sheryl Sandberg's push for diversity and her Lean In efforts. — “Mr. Zuckerberg blamed his former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook...” — www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u...
@chafkin Max Chafkin on bluesky
one thing that's sort of been lost in the zuck masculine energy rebranding is that buried in that announcement is yet another admission that AI isn't working as well as people want it to [image]
@melissjpeltier Melissa Jo Peltier on bluesky
Ahhhh...so Miller wants to turn Meta into an agent of genocide. — Make no mistake, he either wants mass slavery or mass death. He's a sadist. [embedded post]
@brainnotonyet Karl on bluesky
Fascists are not subtle. The revel in telling their victims their goals prior to enacting them to terrorize them. — Miller is telling people the plan. Unfortunately we must listen and plan accordingly www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u...
@katzish Amanda Katz on bluesky
Reading this EXCELLENT reporting by four top reporters with more care. Every alarm bell should be going off over this. Miller has reliably been the person pushing Trump toward his most sociopathic policies — now with approval over Meta policy, too. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u.…
@sheeraf Sheera Frenkel on bluesky
Sheryl Sandberg became a household name because of Lean In, her manifesto about women in the workplace. — How can she not respond to Mark Zuckerberg not just doing away with DEI, but blaming her for it in a conversation with Trump? [image]
@sararose007 @sararose007 on bluesky
Birds of a feather‼️
@quillmatiq.com Anuj Ahooja on bluesky
He has majority voting shares and can do whatever he wants, and yet still blames others for his company's decisions. — Can't wait for him to blame another woman or a member of another minority group when this culture pivot inevitably fails. Maybe he'll blame the H1-Bs this tim…
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on bluesky
Blamed Sheryl Sandberg. [embedded post]
@daniloc.xyz Danilo on bluesky
The masculine energy of handing a dude your lunch money and blaming your mom for not having any yesterday [embedded post]
@bidatzi @bidatzi on bluesky
Class act [embedded post]
@rayminehane Ray Minehane on bluesky
Blaming the person that made meta a printing press for money to enable Zuckerberg's trash ideas is something [embedded post]
@nowheria Matt Brown on bluesky
I'm no fan of Sheryl Sandberg, but this is cowardly on Zuck's part. “It was all Sheryl's fault ! I was misled !” [embedded post]
@kimmasters Kim Masters on bluesky
“Zuckerberg... signaled to Mr. Miller and his colleagues, including other senior Trump advisers, that he would do nothing to obstruct the Trump agenda, according to three people with knowledge of the meeting.” — www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/u...
@katieharbath Katie Harbath on threads
I'm sadly not surprised but so disappointed. Both by Mark's behavior and her not saying anything.
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on threads
Most folks I talked to tonight from the Mark/Sheryl Facebook era are shocked but not surprised by his blaming her, since he did it before. Several expected her to stay silent again, “quietly take credit for being the good cop ... 'See! I'm getting blamed, but that's proof I did…
@quillmatiq Anuj Ahooja on threads
Throwing a woman who no longer works for you under the bus for your company culture is gross, especially when you have unilateral decision-making power. Which minority group will you blame after this cultural pivot inevitably fails? H1-Bs, maybe?
@parkermolloy Parker Molloy on threads
Stephen Miller greenlighted Meta's new hiring policies. “Earlier this month, Mr. Zuckerberg's political lieutenants previewed the changes to Mr. Miller in a private briefing. And on Jan. 10, Mr. Zuckerberg made them official: Meta would abolish its D.E.I. policy.” https://www.n…
@chrislhayes Chris Hayes on threads
something so so perfect about Sandberg building this enormous Lean In empire and then the SECOND she leaves Zuck is like “thank god that nosy broad stopped nagging me. Now we can really bro down.”
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on threads
What Mark is doing now to trash her legacy completely — he had also previously blamed her for all manner of shitty actions that were entirely his doing — is heinous. He is a small little creature with a shriveled soul to do this to someone who was a key part of making him so ric…
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on threads
Earlier this week, I texted @sherylsandberg to ask her to speak up about the weird “masculine energy” and “corporate neutering” crap that @zuck is now peddling in his self interest to curry favor with the Trump administration. I had heard from sources that he had specifically bl…
@kevinroose Kevin Roose on threads
Masculine energy is saying “the woman who hasn't worked for me since 2022 made me do DEI” in a meeting with Stephen Miller https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
She's probably ok with it tied to this cause. I don't see him upsetting her considering the lawsuits playing out right now against him including his third deposition in sixty days.
@wellingtonajo @wellingtonajo on x
Sheryl Sandberg stepped down in 2022, more than enough time for him to come to his own conclusions about the culture there and change anything that he didn't agree with. Even so, he had the power to change things before she left that he didn't agree with. Zuckerberg continues to
@lauraloomer Laura Loomer on x
Ha! In his latest attempt to skirt accountability, Mark Zuckerberg is not only blaming Joe Biden, but he's now throwing @sherylsandberg under the bus. 😂 He's blaming her for the culture of DEI at Meta. He refuses to take accountability for his own actions. [image]
@buccocapital @buccocapital on x
Zuck blaming Sheryl Sandberg for Facebook's culture is pretty disappointing He's the Founder and CEO. The buck stops with him [image]
@shannonrwatts Shannon Watts on x
Big masculine energy 💪
@musharbash_b Basel Musharbash on x
This is how governing happens in an oligarchy: The elected government negotiates with oligarchs over what gets done. Here, it sounds like Stephen Miller made a nice compromise with Zuckerberg: Zuck won't muzzle MAGA on social media or try to block Trump's immigration policy
@rhonnief Rhonda Elaine Foxx on x
I cannot wait for every woman who's laid off to sue his ass. We need more “masculine energy,” and a long-departed “woman executive” is to blame. My bar license isn't active, but I'm happy to revive it to represent the women of Meta. Again, sue his ass.
@wilson__valdez @wilson__valdez on x
The people with the most power right now- Trump, Elon, Stephen Miller, etc- are the most evil, loathsome people on the planet. I don't think the country is prepared for what's coming.
@zaidjilani Zaid Jilani on x
I don't have a lot in common with Stephen Miller, but this is how you govern. The elected govt is in charge of the country not the oligarch.
@amasad Amjad Masad on x
He's Leaning Out
@mshannahmurphy Hannah Murphy on x
According to the NYT, Mark Zuckerberg “blamed” Sheryl Sandberg for “Facebook's culture” when Stephen Miller told him that Trump would crack down on DEI when he takes the White House Shortly after, Zuckerberg abolished Meta's DEI policies: https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]
@esaagar Saagar Enjeti on x
“Mr. Zuckerberg blamed his former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for Facebook's culture” [image]
@marmel @marmel on x
oh look. it's just Zuckerberg obeying in advance. At everyone's expense except his. [image]
@teroterotero Tero Kuittinen on x
Oh a woman was at fault
@awprokop Andrew Prokop on x
Sheryl Sandberg under the bus. Zuck groveling to Stephen Miller. What a world [image]
@fahrenthold David Fahrenthold on x
NEW: Stephen Miller is poised to become one of the most powerful unelected people in government. Here's how he got there — including wrangling donations from @elonmusk — and what he wants. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@anniekarni Annie Karni on x
“Mr. Trump said that if it was up to Mr. Miller there would be only 100 million people in this country, and they would all look like Mr. Miller.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
r/politics r on reddit
Stephen Miller, Channeling Trump, Has Built More Power Than Ever
@abunchofmalarkey @abunchofmalarkey on bluesky
Nothing to worry about. There are only 3 billion facebook users worldwide.
@firerock31 Andy Cheng on threads
Meta's CTO admitted the company mishandled the rollout of its new content policies. Personally, I feel the timing of Zuck's Rogan interview was poorly timed. As an outsider, it seemed like he overshared. Sometimes it's better to keep the quiet part quiet.
@amir Amir Efrati on x
Meta CTO on fact-checking changes: “I do think actually gaining political leverage is its own value for the company, for our ability to pursue our goals.”

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