Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold more than $733 million worth of company stock during the first quarter of 2025, just weeks before President Donald Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on April 2.
The disclosure, based on data from Washington Service and reported by Bloomberg, has renewed scrutiny over executive trading amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
Between January and March, Zuckerberg offloaded approximately 1.1 million shares through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and its associated foundation. The sales were conducted under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 trading plan adopted in August 2024, which allows executives to sell shares on a set schedule to mitigate insider trading concerns.
The transactions came during a volatile period for tech stocks. Following the tariff announcement, Meta’s shares — along with much of the tech sector — experienced sharp declines. According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Zuckerberg’s net worth fell to $178 billion, marking its lowest point in 2025.
Zuckerberg’s share sales continued into April, adding another $565 million to the total value of shares sold. After accounting for stock option exercise costs, the additional April sales contributed a net gain of around $465 million.
He was not the only executive to divest significant holdings amid growing market uncertainty. Notable transactions included:
- Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle Corp., who sold $705 million in stock options in January.
- Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks Inc., who sold 2.36 million shares valued at over $432 million.
- Max de Groen, director at Nutanix Inc. and Bain Capital partner, who sold 5.5 million shares for approximately $410 million.
- Chuck Davis, director at Axis Capital Holdings and co-CEO of Stone Point Capital, who sold 4.3 million shares worth nearly $400 million.
- Stephen Cohen, President of Palantir Technologies, who sold 4.06 million shares for about $337 million amid a surge in stock price.
- Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who sold $233.8 million worth of shares in February, followed by $31.5 million in April, totaling over $265 million this year.
- Eric Lefkofsky, CEO of Tempus AI Inc., who sold over 4 million shares worth $231.5 million under a structured plan.
- Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix, who sold 199,063 shares worth $194.9 million.
- Travis Boersma, co-founder of Dutch Bros Inc., who sold 2.5 million shares in February for nearly $190 million.
While many of these sales were executed under formal trading plans, the volume and timing have reignited debate over executive stock sales and the adequacy of current disclosure and regulatory frameworks—particularly during periods of major policy shifts.
