Mark Zuckerberg Tries to Play It Safe in Social Media Addiction Trial Testimony

"Zuckerberg repeatedly fell back on accusing Lanier of "mischaracterizing" his previous statements. When it came to emails, Zuckerberg typically objected based on how old the message was, or his lack of familiarity with the Meta employees involved. "I don't think so, no," he replied when directed to clarify if he knew Karina Newton, Instagram's head of public policy in 2021. And Zuckerberg never failed to point out when he wasn't actually on an email thread entered as evidence."

"Perhaps anticipating these detached and repetitive talking points from Zuckerberg-who claimed over and over that any increased engagement from a user on Facebook or Instagram merely reflected the "value" of those apps-Lanier early on suggested that the CEO has been coached to address these issues. "You have extensive media training," he said. "I think I'm sort of well-known to be pretty bad at this," Zuckerberg protested, getting a rare laugh from the courtroom."

"Lanier went on to present Meta documents outlining communication strategies for Zuckerberg, describing his team as "telling you what kind of answers to give," including in a context such as testifying under oath. "I'm not sure what you're trying to imply," Zuckerberg said. In the afternoon, Meta counsel Paul Schmidt returned to that line of questioning, asking if Zuckerberg had to speak to the media because of his role as head of a major business. "More than I would like," Zuckerberg said, to more laughter."

Zuckerberg repeatedly answered by accusing Lanier of mischaracterizing his prior statements and objected to email evidence by citing message age or unfamiliarity with Meta employees. He denied knowing Karina Newton and pointed out when he was not on an email thread entered as evidence. Lanier suggested that Zuckerberg had been coached on communication strategies, and presented Meta documents outlining suggested answers, including for testimony under oath. Zuckerberg occasionally acknowledged media obligations and elicited courtroom laughter. The judge warned attendees to remove AI-equipped recording glasses because recordings were prohibited. K.G.M.'s suit and others to follow are novel in their sidestepping of Section.

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