Mark Zuckerberg Considered Deleting Your Facebook Friends

Zuckerberg's Radical Plan to Revitalize Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, reportedly contemplated a drastic measure to reinvigorate Facebook’s position in the social media landscape: deleting all user friend connections.

This “potentially crazy idea,” as Zuckerberg himself described it, surfaced during the initial proceedings of the U.S. government’s antitrust case against Meta on Monday.

The Proposed "Graph Wipe"

In a 2022 communication to Meta staff, Zuckerberg suggested “wiping everyone’s graphs and having them start again” as a potential remedy for Facebook’s diminishing cultural impact.

The rationale behind this proposal was that compelling users to rebuild their networks could stimulate renewed engagement and reconnection with the platform.

Internal Opposition and Abandonment

However, the plan faced resistance from other Meta leaders, notably Tom Alison, the head of Facebook.

Consequently, the strategy was ultimately rejected and never put into action.

Alternative Strategies Considered

Evidence presented during the trial also indicated that Zuckerberg explored other avenues for maintaining Meta’s dominance.

One such consideration involved transitioning Facebook from a network centered around mutual friendships to one based on a follower model.

This shift, too, was ultimately deemed unsuitable and not implemented.

Return to Core Functionality

Recently, Facebook has refocused its efforts on strengthening connections between friends.

This is evidenced by the redesign of the Friends tab, aiming to recapture the essence of “OG Facebook.”

The updated tab prioritizes friend requests and exclusively displays content from established friends, including posts, reels, stories, and birthday announcements.

Zuckerberg's Vision for the Future

During Meta’s Q4 2024 earnings call, Zuckerberg articulated his ambitions for the coming year.

He expressed his belief in Facebook’s potential to regain significant cultural influence, suggesting a return to the platform’s original functionalities would be key.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities to make [Facebook] way more culturally influential than it is today,” Zuckerberg stated to investors.