How Meta’s $17.1 Billion Social Media Settlement Came Together
State attorneys general spent months in negotiations. Then, as its legal losses mounted, the social media giant’s new top lawyer brought a huge settlement to the table.
In August, Meta's chief legal officer, C.J. Mahoney, traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to meet with lawyers representing around a dozen states. The purpose of the meeting was to negotiate a substantial settlement related to claims that Meta's platforms were creating addictive products that harmed young users. The company had faced losses in court due to these claims, and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg had faced grilling during a trial.
As a result, Zuckerberg approved Mahoney's proposed terms, which included a payment of up to $19 billion to the states and changes to Meta's platforms to improve teen safety. The offer was intriguing for the state attorneys general, who had been negotiating with Meta for months without significant progress. On Tuesday, 47 states, including the District of Columbia and several territories, agreed to a settlement worth approximately $17 billion.
The settlement, one of the largest agreements between a company and a group of states involved in litigation, was announced on Wednesday.
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