Tech Companies Embark on a New Apology Tour

By Brad Stone

Those transgressions seem rather quaint now.

The TV apologies from Facebook and Uber are worth exploring further. In its ad, “Here Together,” Facebook tries to reset its relationship with its 200 million-some American members by reminding them why they signed up in the first place. “We came here for the friends,” intones a male narrator over clips of people dancing, hugging and snuggling babies. “We found others just like us, and just like that, we felt a little less alone.”

The ad references controversies like fake news and data misuse, which just may have subverted American democracy, but then vows that will all go away. “From now on, Facebook will do more to keep you safe and protect your privacy.”

For many Facebook members, heart-warming posts from friends are still being overshadowed by polemical commentaries on the news and junky web links. It’s also interesting that Facebook’s co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is nowhere to be seen in the ad. The company seems to have decided that he doesn’t have the standing with a mainstream audience to deliver such a message of penance.

Uber reached a different conclusion. In its ad “Moving Forward,” new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says, “It’s time to move in a new direction. And I want you to know just how excited I am to write Uber’s next chapter with you.” While he’s talking to the camera at the start and end of the commercial and narrating the rest…

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