Mark Zuckerberg’s Ex-Mentor Has Been Lambasting Him All Week, Facebook Is Dangerous

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg has found himself under attack over the past several days but not by outsiders. The man responsible for creating the biggest social media company in the world is being lambasted by his own former mentor who is calling his creation a danger to society. What’s more, this is the same mentor who apparently convinced Zuckerberg not to sell Facebook and instead make it bigger.

Roger McNamee has been one of the earliest investors in Facebook and is apparently one of Zuckerberg’s former mentors, Business Insider reports. Despite his history with the social media mogul, however, McNamee has been publishing non-flattering articles about Zuckerberg and the role that Facebook has played in society, calling it toxic on several occasions.

In an opinion piece published in The Washington Monthly, for example, McNamee writes that he had warned Facebook about election meddling in early 2017. It seems the social network simply ignored him.

"The platform was being exploited by a range of bad actors, including supporters of extremism, yet management claimed the company was not responsible," McNamee wrote. "Facebook’s users, I warned, might not always agree. The brand was at risk of becoming toxic."

McNamee also wrote for The Washington Post, noting how the social media site was a prime platform for abusers. The piece is intended to provide Facebook with a roadmap to fix some of its biggest issues.

“Facebook is tailor-made for abuse by bad actors, and unless the company takes immediate action, we should expect a lot more of it, including interference in upcoming elections. If Facebook chooses to protect its current business model, it has enough power and influence to skate by without implementing the changes needed to protect democracy and public health in the United States and across the world,” The Post piece reads.

Even The Guardian published an opinion piece by McNamee on Saturday, January 13th, wherein he warned users about the dangers of using Facebook. This was in response to the announcement made by Zuckerberg that there would be some changes to the News Feed, which would deprioritize corporate posts.

“I was once Mark Zuckerberg’s mentor, but I have not been able to speak to him about this. Unfortunately, all the internet platforms are deflecting criticism and leaving their users in peril,” McNamee wrote.