Mark Zuckerberg's longest-serving employee on AI, jobs - and her boss

Meta's longest-serving employee, Naomi Gleit, has defended CEO Mark Zuckerberg's character and outlined the company's push to deploy AI agents for small businesses on WhatsApp, even as the firm cuts 10% of its workforce [1]. Gleit, who joined the company nearly 20 years ago as its 29th employee and is now head of product, said her mother was initially disappointed she did not join the now-defunct investment bank Lehman Brothers [1]. The Lehman family founded that prominent financial firm, which collapsed in 2008 [5]. Gleit argued the popular perception of Zuckerberg as a cold "tech bro" is "unfair," citing his role as a father and husband [1]. She described the difference between his public image and private persona as "huge" [1]. The company is currently developing AI agents for its WhatsApp platform, which it says will act as "superpowers" for small businesses by autonomously managing customer interactions [1]. This shift comes as Meta executes layoffs of 10% of its staff while increasing investment in artificial intelligence [1]. Gleit advised young people to "be curious" about AI's impact on their future careers, noting that her own job as a product manager did not exist before the internet [1]. The technological pivot and workforce restructuring occur within a broader U.S. economic and political context marked by corporate shifts and workforce changes [2]. Gleit's career trajectory, from joining a startup to leading product at a tech giant, mirrors the Silicon Valley evolution chronicled in regional timelines [3]. Despite the current strategic focus, she acknowledged there have been moments where Meta "didn't meet our standards" [1].