Here's How Much Meta Spends on Mark Zuckerberg's Security
Ever wondered how much it costs to keep Mark Zuckerberg safe? Wonder no longer: Meta says in a regulatory filing that it spent nearly $27 million on the Facebook founder's security in 2021.
"Under Mr. Zuckerberg's overall security program," Meta says in the filing, "we pay for costs related to personal security for Mr. Zuckerberg at his residences and during personal travel, including the annual costs of security personnel for his protection and the procurement, installation, and maintenance of certain security measures for his residences."
Bloomberg notes that Meta spends far more on Zuckerberg's security than other companies spend on their own executives. Google spent $4.3 million on security for chief executive Sundar Pichai, for example, and Berkshire Hathaway spent a mere $273,000 on Warren Buffett's security last year. Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg's security costs came to $9 million in 2021.
"We believe that Mr. Zuckerberg's role puts him in a unique position: he is synonymous with Meta and, as a result, negative sentiment regarding our company is directly associated with, and often transferred to, Mr. Zuckerberg," Meta says in the filing. "Mr. Zuckerberg is one of the most-recognized executives in the world, in large part as a result of the size of our user base and our continued exposure to global media, legislative, and regulatory attention."
The costs associated with Zuckerberg's security also rose by 6% between 2020 ($23.4 million) and 2021 ($26.8 million). Meta says the "increased costs in 2021 were primarily due to regular personal travel, costs relating to security protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, and market increases in the costs of security personnel" rather than increased threats to Zuckerberg's
Read more on pcmag.com
