Mark Zuckerberg’s pretty unpopular these days. Facebook users are furious after a seemingly endless series of privacy scandals. And shareholders and at least one U.S. Representative in Washington are calling for him to be fired.
Zuckerberg, though, likely isn’t worried.
Despite escalating cries for his ouster from Facebook and the fact that it’s a publicly traded company, Zuckerberg’s power at the social media site is largely absolute. The dual-class structure of the company’s stock means he has 51% of the voting power. In other words: What Zuck wants, Zuck gets.
Even if that weren’t a factor, it’s unlikely the Facebook board would ever call for a vote to have him removed from the company. Facebook’s bylaws give him the ability to remove any director “with or without cause”. If he senses a rebellion, he can easily wipe it out. (Witness Trillium Asset Management’s failure in its quest to separate Zuckerberg’s chairman and CEO roles.)
That’s not keep critics outside of the company silent, though.
“The American people are tired of the excuses, the lies, and the deliberate evasion.” Said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), who sits on the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, in a statement. “It is utterly appalling that we are only presented with the truth when it has been exposed. … It is time for new leadership at Facebook and it is time for Mark Zuckerberg to log out.”
Scandals like Cambridge Analytica and this week’s revelation the company made users’ friends and private messages accessible to companies including Microsoft and Netflix might cost him money, but Zuckerberg has repeatedly said he has no plans to resign from the company.