In an apparent effort to curry favor with then-President-elect Donald Trump, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ordered the removal of tampons from all men’s bathrooms in company offices. This decision wasn’t about cost-cutting or efficiency — it took effort, served no practical purpose, and sent a clear message about the company’s shifting priorities.
Since Trump’s victory, Zuckerberg has overseen a series of policy changes at Meta that critics warn could foster hate speech, misinformation, and harassment on its platforms. Under his leadership, the company has eliminated fact-checkers for Community Notes, lifted prohibitions on certain forms of hate speech, scrapped DEI initiatives, and removed trans-inclusive features from its apps, all while reinstating political content recommendations that could amplify extremist views. These moves align with broader conservative criticisms of social media companies, which Trump and his allies have long accused of being biased against the right.
In response to these changes, some progressive Meta employees appear to be pushing back in small but symbolic ways.
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After tampons, liners, and pads were removed from men’s bathrooms earlier this month, they mysteriously reappeared — not through company policy, but through the quiet defiance of workers who brought in their own supplies. According to five anonymous sources cited by The New York Times, employees also circulated a petition calling for Meta to reinstate the amenities.
Meta, however, stood firm on its stance. The company reportedly responded it had “not been the intention of Meta leadership to make employees feel unwelcome or excluded in our offices, [but] at this point, we do not have plans to revisit our on-site amenities offerings.” Don’t worry, though — the feedback was shared with leadership.
It raises the infamous Linkin Park query: Can you really “take it down from the inside”?
