Meta Staff Discussed Undermining Critic Jonathan Haidt, Court Filing Says

Meta staff discussed a "whisper strategy" to undermine Jonathan Haidt, the American social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, according to internal meeting minutes contained in a US court filing. The Guardian reported the contents of the documents.

The filing was made in litigation brought by school districts suing Meta. The minutes show staff discussing how to "get the academic community to disavow Haidt." A separate document, titled "Well-being Meeting Sound-check Notes," refers to ways Meta could "turn other academics against Haidt" and mentions "debunking" his work.

The minutes of a meeting held on 8 March 2023 include the word "Curtiss," which appears to be a reference to Curtiss Cobb, then Meta's vice-president of research. The same minutes describe the approach in these terms: "Not thinking about this as a loud strategy. A below-the-line campaign."

According to the minutes, the group also floated getting someone named "Gellman" to write a takedown piece, meaning a critical article, about Haidt.

The minutes predate the publication of Haidt's book in 2024. They also discuss how to respond to a post on Substack, the newsletter publishing platform, in which Haidt reviewed articles.

Haidt told The Verge that he was "not surprised" by the discussions.