Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and
Sheryl Sandberg did not attend a committee hearing at Canada’s Parliament on
May 28, 2019 in spite of having received summons from Bob Zimmer MP, the
committee’s chair. Instead, Facebook sent its director of public policy and its
head of public policy for Facebook Canada. “Shame on Mark Zuckerberg and shame
on Sheryl Sandberg for not showing up today,” Zimmer said toward the end of the
hearing.[1]
For sending two representatives rather than themselves, Zuckerberg and Sandberg
faced the possibility of being held in contempt. They had testified before the
U.S. Congress, so by sending two representatives the two leaders of Facebook
may have acted rather dismissively concerning Canada’s federal legislature. At
the time, Zuckerberg had virtually unchecked power at Facebook, including over
the other stockholders. From his perch, the power may have been going to his
head; even after two years of user-privacy
scandals, Facebook’s CEO and Chairman of the Board may have determined that
summons from legislatures where the company was operating were beneath him.
Such a mentality is dangerous for a person with autocratic control of such a
large company.
1. Donie O’Sullivan and Paula Newton, “Zuckerberg
and Sandberg Ignore Canadian Subpoena, Face Possible Contempt Vote,”
CNN.com, May 28, 2019.