Breaking Up Facebook Is Not the Answer

By Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president for global affairs and communications

When does a company become too big or too successful to exist? Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, argues that Facebook should be dismantled because “big” poses a risk to society. In my view — and that of most people who write about technology’s impact on society — what matters is not size but rather the rights and interests of consumers, and our accountability to the governments and legislators who oversee commerce and communications.

Mr. Hughes is right that companies should be held accountable for their actions. If people were writing the rules for the internet from scratch today, they wouldn’t want so many important social, political and ethical questions left in the hands of private companies. But the challenges he alludes to, including election interference and privacy safeguards, won’t evaporate by breaking up Facebook or any other big tech company. Fixing these problems requires significant resources — and strong new rules.

We employ 38,000 people globally, and every day more than two billion people use Facebook, Instagram or one of our other products. More than 90 million small businesses thrive with the help of our platforms because they can reach a global audience for the first time. And nonprofits of every size raise money and promote their causes across about 200 countries and in every time zone. We’re proud of that.

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