Mark Zuckerberg sold $733m worth of shares in Q1 2025
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., sold more than $733 million worth of company stock during the first quarter of 2025, just weeks before former President Donald Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on April 2.
The stock sale, reported by Bloomberg using data from Washington Services, has reignited debate over executive trading practices amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Between January and March, Zuckerberg offloaded roughly 1.1 million shares through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and its affiliated foundation, following a 10b5-1 trading plan set up in August 2024. These preset plans are designed to allow executives to sell shares on a fixed schedule, aiming to reduce concerns around insider trading.
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The timing of Zuckerberg’s transactions aligned with a volatile period for U.S. stock markets. After Trump’s tariff announcement, tech stocks—including Meta—suffered steep declines. According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Zuckerberg’s net worth dropped to $178 billion, marking his lowest valuation of the year.
His stock sales extended into April, bringing the total value sold to about $1.3 billion, partially offset by an estimated $100 million in exercise costs.
Zuckerberg wasn’t the only executive to trim his holdings ahead of the market turbulence. Several other prominent business leaders also executed significant stock sales in the lead-up to and aftermath of the tariff announcement.
Oracle CEO Safra Catz exercised stock options worth $705 million in January, while Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, sold 2.36 million shares over several months, totaling more than $432 million.
Max de Groen, a director at Nutanix and a partner at Bain Capital, sold 5.5 million shares for approximately $410 million. Chuck Davis, a director at Axis Capital and co-CEO of Stone Point Capital, divested 4.3 million shares valued at nearly $400 million.
Palantir Technologies President Stephen Cohen sold 4.06 million shares worth around $337 million amid a sharp rally in the stock between January and February.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon sold 866,361 shares for $233.8 million on February 20, later adding another $31.5 million in sales in April, bringing his total 2025 divestment to more than $265 million.
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Tempus AI CEO Eric Lefkofsky sold over 4 million shares for $231.5 million as part of a structured trading plan aimed at gradually reducing his stake.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos offloaded 199,063 shares for $194.9 million, while Dutch Bros co-founder Travis Boersma sold 2.5 million shares in February, bringing in nearly $190 million.
The wave of high-level stock sales has reignited scrutiny over the timing of executive trades, especially given their proximity to sensitive shifts in U.S. trade policy. Although many of the transactions were executed under pre-arranged trading plans, the volume and timing continue to raise questions about transparency and the adequacy of existing oversight.
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