A former engineering director at Meta Platforms testified in an Oakland, California, federal court that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a corporate culture prioritizing user engagement and profit over child safety. The testimony comes as a coalition of 29 states brings a landmark trial against Meta over the platform’s impact on young users.
A landmark legal battle over the safety of social media apps entered its second day of testimony as former Meta executive Arturo Bejar took the stand in federal court. The trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers with an advisory jury, centers on sweeping accusations from a coalition of 29 states. The states claim Meta designed its platforms to hook young users, fueled anxiety, depression, and suicide, and improperly collected personal data from children under 13.
Top-Down Culture and Zuckerberg’s Role in Decision-Making
Bejar, who worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and later consulted on teenage well-being as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021, told the court that Mark Zuckerberg maintained tight control over product decisions. According to Reuters, the company’s top-down corporate environment ensured that major design shifts happened only when the CEO personally commanded them.
“If Mark makes something a priority, mountains move in months.”
Arturo Bejar, former Meta engineering director
Bejar strongly rejected public statements Zuckerberg made in October 2021. At that time, the Meta chief executive asserted that the company constantly relied on research to improve its products and disputed whistleblower Frances Haugen’s allegations that executives ignored known safety risks to young users in pursuit of higher profits. Bejar testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023 regarding harassment on the platforms, and he did not mince words on the witness stand regarding his former boss’s claims.
“It’s so false, every part of it. You just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids.”
Arturo Bejar, former Meta engineering director
Ignored Research and Alleged ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policies
During the proceedings, state attorneys pressed witnesses on internal research concerning youth mental health and platform design.
Stakes, Injunctions, and Potential Financial Exposure
Legal experts view the Oakland trial as one of the most consequential tests of social media accountability to date. While Meta has projected a theoretical worst-case financial exposure of up to $1.4 trillion in penalties, legal analysts suggest the true threat lies in potential court-ordered injunctions, according to Mercurynews.
Vincent Joralemon, a director at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law & Technology, noted that Meta generated $60 billion in profit last year. An injunction stripping away features like infinite scrolling, beauty filters, visible “likes,” and engagement algorithms could severely disrupt the company’s growth pipeline by making the platforms less engaging for minors.
The current federal trial follows a series of severe legal setbacks for the tech giant.
Victims’ Families Demand Accountability Outside the Courtroom
Outside the federal courthouse, families of victims affected by online harms staged demonstrations, holding banners bearing the handwritten names of hundreds of young people who died following social media-related tragedies. Among those in attendance were parents such as Amy Neville, whose 14-year-old son Alexander died from fentanyl poisoning after being targeted on Snapchat, and John DeMay, whose 17-year-old son Jordan died by suicide after a sextortion scheme on Instagram.
Lori Scott, one of the participating parents, voiced the core demand of the families gathered in Oakland.
Lennon Torres of the Heat Initiative added outside the courtroom doors that the public proceedings finally expose what corporate insiders understood regarding product addiction and child safety.
Cross-Examination and Personal Testimony
During cross-examination, Meta’s lawyer Brian Stekloff questioned Bejar about his own experience with his daughter’s Instagram account. Bejar acknowledged he was unaware of the risks when he helped set up the account in 2021 for his daughter, who was then 16 and seeking a community for women to discuss cars. Instead, she encountered misogynistic remarks, including comments about her body.
“I kept an eye on how distressing it was for her. She got a good following, at the price of harm.”
Arturo Bejar, former Meta engineering director
Bejar also noted under questioning that Meta employs hundreds of qualified personnel dedicated to safety, though he maintained that his second stint as an independent contractor lacked direct access to top executives and resources.
