Mark Zuckerberg’s 6 most embarrassing moments ever

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most recognisable figures in the tech industry. As the co-founder and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), he is not only a tech billionaire entrepreneur but also the face of one of the most influential companies in the world.

However, behind the success and wealth, Zuckerberg has also developed a reputation for being, well, a little awkward.

From stumbling through interviews to uncomfortable encounters with world leaders, he often finds himself in moments that leave audiences cringing.

Here are some of Zuckerberg’s most unforgettable awkward moments.

The infamous sweaty interview (2010)

One of Zuckerberg’s awkward moments came at the D8 Conference in 2010. Wearing his signature hoodie, he was grilled on Facebook’s controversial privacy practices.

Under pressure, he began visibly sweating, fumbling through his answers, and even zoning out at times.

The image of a nervous, drenched CEO struggling to defend his company instantly went viral, cementing his reputation as socially uncomfortable in high-pressure situations.

The worst keynote in history

At the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference, Zuckerberg sat down with tech journalist Sarah Lacy for what was supposed to be a career-defining keynote.

Instead, it turned into a disaster. Lacy rambled, plugged her book, and interrupted Zuckerberg repeatedly, while he struggled to keep the conversation on track.

Audience members grew restless, live-tweeting their frustrations, and the event went down as one of the most painfully awkward keynotes in tech history.

Fumbling in front of Congress (2018)

When the Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted, Zuckerberg was summoned to testify before Congress. 

Over two days of hearings, he struggled with basic questions about Facebook’s policies, sometimes looking visibly confused.

Senator Richard Durbin’s pointed question about whether Zuckerberg would share his hotel location highlighted the privacy contradictions of Facebook.

Moreover, to make matters worse, Zuckerberg left his personal notes unattended, and they were quickly photographed and leaked online.

Dodging world leaders (2011–2016)

According to Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive, Zuckerberg repeatedly avoided engaging with political leaders.

In 2011, he declined to meet New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, showing little interest in politics.

Later, in 2016, his team tried to engineer a “chance” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit.

Instead, Zuckerberg was blocked by Xi’s security detail, turning a potential diplomatic moment into an embarrassing failure.

Left alone by Colombia’s President (2015)

During a joint appearance with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to promote Internet.org, Zuckerberg reportedly arrived late and unprepared, having skipped his briefing materials.

To make things worse, Santos abruptly left the stage during their media appearance, leaving Zuckerberg standing alone under the spotlight, an image that perfectly captured his discomfort.

The awkward glance during Trump’s inauguration (2025)

At President Donald Trump’s inauguration, cameras caught Zuckerberg appearing to sneak a glance at Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos’s girlfriend.

While many argued it was an innocent, misinterpreted moment, the image spread rapidly across social media.