Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other high-ranking executives are in the hot seat as they face serious allegations in a Delaware court.
The Big Tech execs are being sued by shareholders over their failure to protect user data.
On Wednesday, a high-stakes non-jury trial began before Chief Judge Kathaleen McCormick in Delaware’s Court of Chancery.
The case revolves around accusations that Zuckerberg and other Meta executives neglected their duties to safeguard Facebook user data.
The mishandling of privacy data led to a record $5 billion fine by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and billions more in related costs.
The lawsuit, which seeks a staggering $8 billion in damages, argues that Zuckerberg, former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, former Vice President Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, and other directors should be held personally responsible for breaches of their fiduciary duties.
Shareholders contend that the company’s executives were negligent in ensuring that Facebook adhered to privacy standards, resulting in catastrophic privacy violations.
Zuckerberg and other prominent Meta figures, including Sandberg and Papamiltiadis, are expected to testify during the trial.
Additional high-profile potential witnesses like venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, and former PayPal executive Peter Thiel are also expected to appear before