Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Executive Officer of Meta Platforms Inc., sold over $733 million worth of company shares in the first quarter of 2025, weeks before President Donald Trump’s April 2 announcement of sweeping reciprocal tariffs, Bloomberg reported, citing data from Washington Services.
Zuckerberg was among a cohort of top U.S. executives, including JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and Oracle’s Safra Catz, who liquidated significant portions of their holdings ahead of a volatile shift in global market conditions spurred by the renewed trade war.
The Meta CEO offloaded approximately 1.1 million shares between January and March through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and its foundation under a pre-established 10b5-1 trading plan, which he set up in August 2024.
The sales came just before Trump’s tariff declaration sent shockwaves across equity markets, with Meta stock among those affected.
Following the announcement, Zuckerberg’s net worth dropped to $178 billion, its lowest point this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
The disclosures have reignited debate about executive trading activity and timing, particularly during periods of geopolitical uncertainty.
Other major insider sales
- Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle Corp., sold stock options worth approximately $705 million in January, when Oracle shares were trading at a high of $180.
Catz, known for maintaining a limited direct stake in the company, executed the sale as part of regular compensation-related option exercises.
- Nikesh Arora, CEO of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks Inc. and former SoftBank executive, sold 2.36 million shares valued at more than $432 million over several months.
Monthly stock option sales have continued into April, bringing the total to $565 million, offset by an exercise cost of about $100 million.
- Max de Groen, a director at Nutanix Inc. and a partner at Bain Capital, sold 5.5 million shares worth approximately $410 million, while Chuck Davis, a director at Axis Capital Holdings Ltd., sold 4.3 million shares for just under $400 million. Davis also serves as co-CEO of private equity firm Stone Point Capital.
- Stephen Cohen, President of Palantir Technologies Inc., cashed out 4.06 million shares for around $337 million, as the company’s stock surged nearly 100% between January and February.
- Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, sold 866,361 shares worth $233.8 million on February 20. He later sold an additional 133,639 shares for $31.5 million in April, pushing his total share sales this year past the quarter-billion-dollar mark.
- Eric Lefkofsky, Chairman and CEO of health-tech firm Tempus AI Inc., sold over 4 million shares worth $231.5 million under a 10b5-1 plan that distributes 1% of his stake quarterly.
Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix Inc., sold 199,063 shares for $194.9 million as part of a new 10b5-1 plan that spans through February 2026.
Travis Boersma, co-founder and chairman of Dutch Bros Inc., sold 2.5 million shares over five days in February for approximately $189.6 million, rounding out the list of executives whose large-scale sales preceded Trump’s policy shift.
