--- title: "Facebook Co-Founder: “It’s Time to Break Up Facebook”" description: "## Point Break" date: "2019-05-09" modified: "2019-05-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/co-founder-chris-hughes-facebook-broken-up" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "big tech" - "facebook" - "mark zuckerberg" - "social networks" --- # Facebook Co-Founder: “It’s Time to Break Up Facebook” ![In a New York Times op-ed, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes argues that Facebook needs to be broken up and regulated.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## Point Break Chris Hughes helped Mark Zuckerberg launch Facebook. But times have changed. In a [*New York Times* op-ed]() titled "It's Time to Break Up Facebook," Hughes argues that Facebook has gained too much power — and that it should be broken up and regulated. "It’s been 15 years since I co-founded Facebook at Harvard, and I haven’t worked at the company in a decade," Hughes wrote. "But I feel a sense of anger and responsibility." ## "Unchecked Power" At the middle of Facebook's continued troubles is Zuckerberg, a CEO that Hughes argues has too much "unchecked power" — he can determine what people read, what is hate speech and what isn't — and an incredible amount of wealth that gives him the ability to shut out any competitors by buying them out. Mark has a "unilateral control over speech," Hughes wrote. "There is no precedent for his ability to monitor, organize and even censor the conversations of two billion people." Though Hughes is unusually close to Facebook, he's certainly not alone in calling for accountability for the social giant. His op-ed comes after news of an [impending multi-billion-dollar fine]() from the Federal Trade Commission emerged as a result of an investigation into the way Facebook handled its users' data. Hughes also joins Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who [argued in March]() that she wants Facebook, Amazon and Google to be broken up. ## Regulation The solution to Zuckerberg's unbridled power, according to Hughes: government regulation. WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook need to be spun out into distinct businesses to create a healthier, more competitive market. Hughes also calls for the creation for a new government agency that deals with tech regulation specifically. "I don’t blame Mark for his quest for domination," Hughes wrote. "Yet he has created a leviathan that crowds out entrepreneurship and restricts consumer choice. It’s on our government to ensure that we never lose the magic of the invisible hand." **READ MORE:** [It’s Time to Break Up Facebook]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on Facebook:** *[InfoWars Made a New Facebook Page One Hour After Ban]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()