Facebook’s post-Cambridge Analytica annual shareholders meeting was much more tense than in past years.
James McRitchie, a Facebook investor, warned Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the company turning into a “corporate dictatorship,” Yahoo Finance reported. McRitchie further advocated for the changes to Facebook’s voting system to move away from the “corporate dictatorship” he referenced.
“Mr. Zuckerberg, take a page from history. Emulate George Washington, not Vladimir Putin,” McRitchie added.
McRitchie wasn’t the only one with a stern message for Facebook. One heckler was even removed from the meeting as she shouted, “Shareholder democracy is lacking at Facebook,” and asked Facebook shareholders to vote against electing Zuckerberg to the board, USA Today reported.
It’s a contentious departure from most of Facebook’s past shareholder meetings, which largely exist as a formality and a chance for Facebook shareholders to voice various concerns or comments about the social media company, with voting power still reserved for Zuckerberg. Despite the numerous grievances aired, Zuckerberg and the other seven members of the Facebook board were re-elected, and the proposal to give each member one vote and remove Zuckerberg’s voting power did not pass.