In the landmark social media addiction trial against its parent company, Meta, Instagram chief, Adam Mosseri, on Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, revealed his compensation under questioning. He stated that he was paid roughly $900,000 a year and receives annual performance-based bonuses that can be up to half his salary, as per the media publications dedicated to covering the trial.
Furthermore, if his stock-based pay is to be accounted for, he said it varies yearly but is in “tens of millions of dollars,” and some years it has been over $20 million. The topic of Mosseri’s compensation came up when the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, asked whether there was a connection between his pay and choices that incentivized company growth by fuelling addiction on the platform.
What is the landmark trial all about?
According to NBC News, Mosseri’s current legal proceedings are only the first of a tranche of cases from over 1,600 plaintiffs, including more than 350 families and more than 250 school districts, that will be heard by a jury in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The plaintiffs claimed that by purposefully creating addictive products, the proprietors of YouTube, TikTok, and Snap Inc. were damaging the mental health of young people.
In the ongoing case against Mosseri, a 20-year-old woman named K.G.M. claimed in her lawsuit that social media corporations purposefully made design decisions to make kids addicted to it for their profitability.
The social media giants remain defendants in a slate of similar lawsuits, with proceedings expected to begin this year. Meta could face damages if the jury’s verdict favors the first plaintiff. If found liable, the tech giant could be forced to make design changes to its platform.
The trial commenced last week with jury selection and could lead to more legal scrutiny over whether social media is harmful to children.
Related: Adam Mosseri Defends Instagram in Major Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
What was Instagram Chief Mosseri’s defense in the trial?
Pushing back against the allegations made in the lawsuit on Wednesday, Mosseri claimed that the company has always made sure that the platform was “safe” for minors, as protecting them “in the long run, is good for profit and business.” However, he acknowledged that excessive use of Instagram could be problematic. “It’s possible to use Instagram more than you think it helps,” he said.
Further emphasizing the platform’s sensitivity towards minors’ interests, Mosseri highlighted that new safety measures were added to the app for minors starting in 2021.
“We have tried to respond as the world changes to make sure the experience is as positive as possible,” he added.
Moreover, Lanier showed the court internal documents from Meta executives suggesting they knew that filters were detrimental to young women, but that removing them would give competitors an unfair advantage, according to CNN.
An email from a Meta executive revealed that banning filters would “limit our ability to be competitive in Asian markets (including India).” Instagram initially decided to ban all filters that distort faces, Mosseri said, but it later changed its decision.
Meta continues to protest its innocence in the court, and the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is expected to testify next week.
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