Mark Zuckerberg's long apology tour: A brief history

Mark Zuckerberg has accumulated a long history of public apologies, often issued in the wake of crisis or when Facebook users rose up against unannounced — and frequently unappreciated — changes in its service

SAN FRANCISCO -- When Mark Zuckerberg turned at a Senate hearing to address the parents of children exploited, bullied or driven to self harm via social media, it felt like a time-worn convention had sprung back to life.

“I'm sorry for everything you've been through,” the Meta CEO said Wednesday. “No one should go through what you and your families have suffered.” Then he returned to corporate mode, noting Meta's continued investments in “industry-wide” efforts to protect children.

Zuckerberg has accumulated a long history of public apologies, often issued in the wake of crisis or when Facebook users rose up against unannounced — and frequently unappreciated — changes in its service. It's a history that stands in sharp contrast to most of his peers in technology, who generally prefer not to speak publicly outside of carefully stage-managed product presentations. But it's also true that Facebook has simply had a lot to apologize for.

Whether or not the public always buys his apologies, there's little doubt that Zuckerberg finds it important to make them himself. Here's a quick, and by no means comprehensive, compendium of some notable Zuckerberg apologies and the circumstances that brought them on.

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