Mark Zuckerberg's MAGA Pivot Driven By Elon Musk Envy, Image Goals, Say 'Betrayed' Meta Insiders: Report

Meta Platforms Inc. META CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s apparent alignment with the MAGA movement has left many of his colleagues feeling “grieving,” and Elon Musk‘s popularity was reportedly a major motivating factor behind this.

What Happened: Zuckerberg’s growing alignment with the Trump administration led to a radical transformation, leaving his employees feeling betrayed. On the other hand, some saw it as a natural transition for the Meta CEO, as per the Financial Times report.

According to insiders at Meta Platforms, Zuckerberg’s shift into “MAGA Mark” was attributed to Zuckerberg’s desire to be seen as a bold and visionary innovator, a status he felt Tesla TSLA CEO Musk had achieved. “He saw that Elon Musk was popular among the tech bros. There was a push to make him cool,” one source revealed.

Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

Some employees also recalled how Zuckerberg, in a bid to emulate Musk’s strategies, announced significant layoffs at Meta soon after Elon Musk slashed the workforce following the Twitter acquisition in 2022.

In a surprising move in January, ahead of Donald Trump‘s second term inauguration, Zuckerberg announced that Meta's moderation would be relaxed and professional fact-checking would be done away with. Efforts towards diversity, equity, and inclusion would also be scaled back.

These actions have left many employees feeling betrayed, with some describing their feelings as "grieving", "horror" and "betrayal". Roger McNamee, an early investor turned critic, said Zuckerberg has become "unbelievably sensitive to not becoming irrelevant".

Some also believe that Trump’s warning to pursue 2020 ‘Election Fraudsters,’ particularly Zuckerberg, also motivated the Meta CEO to warm up to Trump.

Why It Matters: Zuckerberg’s evolving image and actions have been a topic of interest in recent months. Despite the controversy surrounding his public persona, Meta has been making significant moves in the tech industry and his aggressively pushed into artificial intelligence (AI).

Recently, Sam Altman revealed how Zuckerberg’s company reportedly offered $100 million compensation packages to lure top OpenAI talent. Furthermore, Meta was in talks to hire Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub, to bolster its AI efforts.

As for political alignment, Zuckerberg continues to endorse the Trump administration. In March, Trump also suggested that Meta may invest up to $60 billion in the U.S. by the end of the year amid the President’s “America-First” goal. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has currently distanced himself from politics following a feud with President Trump and vowed to focus on his business ventures.

On a year-to-date basis, Meta surged 13.44%, while Tesla slumped over 15%, as per Benzinga Pro.