Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed a wide array of topics during a three-hour podcast interview with Joe Rogan, including its new headset and his affinity for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. However, it was his remarks on Facebook’s decision to limit the spread of an anti-Biden story leading up to 2020 election that created controversy on social media.
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat down with “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast host for a three-hour chat.
The episode released Thursday focused on Zuckerberg’s company, Meta, and their plans to release a virtual-reality headset later this year. The device will include eye and face tracking capabilities that enable people’s VR avatars to accurately replicate them as well as features making social-media apps easier in VR as well as voice and video calling capabilities between users. According to Zuckerberg, they plan to make this available to the general public sometime this fall with further details expected to emerge at Connect – Meta’s annual developer conference held each fall.
Discussion on the podcast was varied and sometimes diverged from its path; yet as with many interviews conducted by Rogan, it proved both entertaining and enlightening. Alongside discussing Facebook, they also spoke of jiu-jitsu and cannabis use.
Zuckerberg recently defended his decision to restrict the spread of a controversial story about Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 election, noting that while the FBI did not directly name this particular article as problematic, it fit within their warning pattern and as such was appropriate for private companies such as Facebook to take.
The two men discussed numerous topics, including the benefits of cannabis and psychedelics. They talked about their own personal experiences smoking marijuana compared to that of their fathers smoking it as well as other drugs like LSD and ketamine. Joe Rogan has long advocated for legalization of pot, interviewing high-profile guests like rapper Post Malone. Often during interviews he and his guests will eat joints or smoke blunts, leading to some interesting dialogue during this stage of proceedings.
Zuckerberg discussed Meta’s plans to release a new virtual-reality headset.
Meta’s headset is among the few that can be used without needing to access virtual worlds via computer. It uses cameras, sensors and screens to simulate human eyes’ field of view using digital matrices – creating an incredible immersive and realistic VR experience.
Meta’s Quest Pro headset costs $1,499 and is intended for power users, but the company is already developing an affordable headset that will be more accessible. Expected to launch in 2019, it should include eye and face tracking to accurately mimic facial expressions in social apps such as VR.
The company will also offer a version of the headset with varifocal optics to alleviate eye strain, enabling people to see both distant objects as well as nearby ones at once. Ventura, another headset codenamed by them in 2024 is designed for people to move around spaces almost imperceptibly latency-free.
Zuckerberg did not give any specifics regarding when these headsets will be released; he only stated they will be showcased at Meta’s annual developer conference, Connect, which usually occurs in late fall. They’ll feature new chips designed to enhance VR experiences.
Zuckerberg declined to directly address the latest controversy surrounding his company, but did note that Facebook had been approached by the FBI with regard to Russian propaganda. He noted, however, that extreme political division in America predated social media; therefore if companies profit from creating content which creates division between citizens and companies profit from profiting off it should be held accountable; though he acknowledged Facebook had been working hard in order to limit the spread of Hunter Biden news stories.
He also defended Facebook’s decision to limit the spread of a polarizing story about Hunter Biden.
The New York Post published an expose alleging that a laptop recovered from Hunter Biden’s home contained emails and evidence showing how Joe Biden, while serving as vice president, used his position to assist with business deals involving Hunter’s son Hunter Biden in Ukraine. The news prompted Republicans to renew longstanding claims of Big Tech bias against conservative viewpoints while reigniting debate over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act legal protections enjoyed by Twitter, Facebook and Google’s YouTube.
Tech giants find themselves in an uncomfortable bind: they must reconcile public demands for free speech with safeguarding users’ private data, as well as pressure from both sides to moderate the tone on their platforms. Finally, they must consider the political and societal ramifications of decisions they make that can have profound effects on democracy.
Facebook recently took steps against hundreds of accounts, pages and groups suspected of foreign election interference. Furthermore, it limited how developers can use users’ personal data while making it simpler for users to set privacy preferences. According to its statement on this matter, when potential threats such as Russian attempts at manipulating voters through “disinformation,” were identified it acted quickly to take appropriate measures.
Even with these steps in place, Facebook remains under attack from lawmakers and the public alike. After it emerged that Cambridge Analytica harvested data on up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent, many lawmakers condemned Facebook severely while whistleblowers have suggested it prioritises profits over user safety.
Zuckerberg explained in his podcast interview why Facebook decided to limit the spread of New York Post article about Hunter Biden’s laptop from New York Post, saying the FBI had given general warnings of foreign election interference; although he wouldn’t name any specific article as fitting into what this pattern entailed.