'Big Tobacco-like fears’ that wiped $20 billion from Mark Zuckerberg's wealth in two days

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg reportedly lost $20 billion in wealth in just two days last week. According to a report by the New York Post, his net worth plummeted to $182.5 billion Friday, March 27 – down $21 billion from the previous day “making him the biggest loser on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list”.

The sharp decline in Zuckerberg's wealth comes after a landmark verdict in New Mexico on March 26 that found the social media giant failing to protect kids from sexual predators, ordering it to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The verdict followed a six-week trial in which the state accused Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of failing to protect minors from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking.