Zuckerberg Pushes Back, Defends Sandberg in CNN Sit-Down
*By Carlo Versano*
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a rare [television interview](https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/tech/mark-zuckerberg-interview/index.html) on Tuesday night in an attempt to control the deepening scandals enveloping his social-media empire.
Speaking to CNN from Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters, Zuckerberg dismissed calls by some shareholders and pundits to step down from his chairman role. Zuckerberg is both chairman and CEO of Facebook ($FB) and controls the majority of voting shares, making him among the most powerful chief executives in America.
When asked if he would step down as chair, Zuckerberg said, "That's not the plan."
The 34-year-old CEO also responded to a damning report in The New York Times from last week, in which both he and deputy Sheryl Sandberg are described as fumbling the response to early reports of Russian interference on the platform ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Times also revealed Facebook's relationship with a controversial PR firm, Definers Public Affairs, which attempted to smear anti-Facebook advocates. The social media giant has since cut ties with the firm, and the Facebook executive who hired Definers [reportedly](https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/20/schrage-definers/) took the blame in an internal memo.
Zuckerberg hit back at The Times in his CNN interview, insisting that some of its reporting wasn't accurate.
“A lot of the things that were in that report, we talked to the reporters ahead of time and told them that from everything that we’d seen, that wasn’t true and they chose to print it anyway," Zuckerberg said. The Times said it stands by its reporting.
Zuckerberg also defended his embattled second-in-command, Sheryl Sandberg, whom he reportedly blamed for Facebook's response to its PR crises. "She's been an important partner for me for 10 years," he said. "I hope that we work together for decades more to come."
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
Hear from Gabino & Stephen Roche on Saphyre’s institutional AI platform that centralizes pre‑ and post‑trade data, redefining settlement speed and accuracy.
