Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Talks Working From Home, Fact-Checking Trump

Facebook, Inc. FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg was a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday to discuss everything from working from home to Facebook's role in preserving free speech.

Zuckerberg On Work From Home Advantages

Facebook already said it expects 50% of all of its employees to transition remotely and work from home over the next five to 10 years, although this isn't a set goal or objective, Zuckerberg said. A remote working environment would open up Facebook to recruit talented people outside of major cities who aren't willing to move, he said. 

Many departing Facebook employees note they want to move to be closer with their families, and a remote environment would allow them to do so, the CEO said.

These unhappy workers are more valuable to Facebook compared to new recruits because they are already familiar with the company culture, he said. 

Facebook plans on letting "more experienced" workers set up remotely first, Zuckerberg said. In contrast, new graduates or entry-level workers need to be at the office more often for training to better adjust to their role.

Zuckerberg said he personally will spend more time working remotely, but it would be impossible to work from home all the time.

People need to feel that remote working won't disadvantage their career prospects or give the impression an office worker is more motivated, Zuckerberg said.

This is one of many challenges moving forward, and the only way to get the process right is through a measured approach over up to 10 years, the CEO said. 

Zuckerberg On Fact-Checking The President

Fellow social media company Twitter Inc TWTR announced a new feature where it will "fact check" President Donald Trump. Conversely, Facebook believes
it has no role as playing an "arbiter of truth" and doing so represents a "dangerous line," Zuckerberg said. 

"Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy and people should be able to see what politicians say." 

This doesn't mean that Facebook's platform is a free-for-all where anyone can say what they want, he said. Calls for violence, false information pertaining to voting or misleading health information will be "taken down no matter who says it," the CEO said. 

Zuckerberg On The 'Business Of Serving Small Businesses'

Facebook is in the "business of serving small businesses," as they represent the vast majority of advertisers, Zuckerberg said.

The platform boasts more than 100 million small businesses across the world that make use of Facebook's services.

A lot of small businesses "may not survive" the COVID-19 pandemic, and this impact will "ripple through and ultimately affect everyone," he said.

Facebook announced an initiative to help these struggling businesses create a new market for their products or services online: Facebook Shops gives small businesses the ability to quickly set up an online shop attached to their social media account.

"Something like that is going to hopefully help more small businesses stay afloat during this period," he said. "It's obviously not going to mitigate all the harm and it's not going to work for everyone but I hope it will have some impact."

Facebook shares were down 0.98% at $226.90 at the time of publication. 

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