“My second dictator, and I do name them, and I would argue the more powerful dictator in the Philippines, is Mark Zuckerberg. At that point, 97% of Filipinos on the internet were on Facebook. Facebook was our internet.”
Masters of Scale · Startups & Venture · October 2026
Context
Aria Finger asked Ressa where the leader who tried to shut down her newsroom is now. Ressa said he faces trial at the International Criminal Court, then named her "second dictator", recalling that when she urged Zuckerberg to visit the Philippines in 2017 he asked where the other 3% were.
Transcript
…I've had to ask for, I lost my right to travel. So until today, to be here in front of you, you had to write a letter to my Supreme Court to ask for permission for me to travel. So guys, when you lose your rights, be careful. It takes a while to claw them back. It's easier to defend it up front.
But where is the corrupt leader who tried to stop you and your fellow journalists right now?
Okay, well, so first. The fight back has two dictators, right? But as you pointed out, Aria, the dictator, Rodrigo Duterte, who had tried to put me in jail for the rest of my life and closed Rappler down, was arrested in March 2025. He's charged with crimes against humanity, and his trial at the International Criminal Court begins November 30th. But that's the first dictator, my second dictator, and I do name them. And I would argue the more powerful dictators. In the Philippines was, is Mark Zuckerberg. At that point, 97% of Filipinos on the internet were on Facebook. Facebook was our internet. Today it's 100%, right? But at that point, I sat with him and I, in 2017, I said, you know, Mark, you have to come visit the Philippines because it's so powerful. The ability to do good is incredible. He was frowning at me. Reed doesn't frown at me, but he was frowning. And then he said, Maria, where are the other 3%? And that was my introduction. So my second dictator has, along with other dictators in tech…
I do think, and this is part of the Master Scale Summit, which is part of the thing of not just technology, but it's kind of soul and culture and humanism and people. And I do think that one of the things that Silicon Valley is a bit of a microcosm for America is also good at
rebuilding, reinventing itself. So I have that hope and optimism. I do think it's some work. You have to focus on, you know, what are the human impacts. I think technology, you know, I've said we're homotechne, that technology is fundamental to being human, but you have to focus on the human part…
Yeah, a lot. And we're counting on you.
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