Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants more “masculine energy” in corporate culture, saying an environment that “celebrates aggression” can have a positive impact.
“I think masculine energy is good,” the 40-year-old said during a lengthy interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. “And obviously society has it in abundance, but I think the corporate culture is really trying to move away from it.” He said that a culture that celebrates aggression has “a little bit more of the qualities that are actually positive.”
Mr Zuckerberg, seen with curly hair, a black T-shirt and gold pendants, reflected on his own evolution. He credited martial arts as a formative experience, describing it as “a very masculine culture”.
Mr. Zuckerberg recently announced major changes to Meta’s policies, eliminating initiatives aimed at promoting diversity in hiring. The decision was explained in an internal memo shared by Axios, which partly blamed DEI’s “charged” approach.
The memo reads: “At META, our philosophy is to serve everyone. This can be achieved through cognitively diverse teams with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.”
“Such teams are better able to innovate, solve complex problems, and identify new opportunities that ultimately help us fulfill our ambition of building products that serve everyone,” the memo said.
“On top of that, we have always believed that no one should be denied – or deprived of – opportunities because of protected characteristics, and this has not changed,” it reads.
The company said it would no longer use a diverse slate approach to hiring but would still seek candidates from all backgrounds. To avoid the idea that decisions are based on race or gender, hiring goals for women and minorities have been removed. The company is also ending its program of prioritizing diversely owned businesses and will now focus on supporting small and medium-sized businesses.
Training programs will focus on fair and impartial practices for all. The DEI team has been disbanded, and its lead, Maxine Williams, will take on a new role focused on outreach and engagement.
Mr Zuckerberg also believed that companies had become too culturally “passive”. He said this realization came when he began interacting more with men in the mixed martial arts community. “You want women to succeed and companies to highlight the value of great people, no matter what their background,” she said. “But I think all these things can always go a little too far.”
