Mazen HAYEK

Advisor to Sr. Officials and CEOs in Tech, Media & Telecom | StratComm | Stealth, Hi-Impact Counsel | Climbing Life’s Second Mountain

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

My latest Op-Ed for The National News explores why the debate around social media bans for children may prove to be one of the defining moral and ethical questions of our time, in tech, media, and beyond.

“Children are not users to be monetised, but hearts and minds to be protected.”

🔗 Original Op-Ed in The National News | @AlOraibi @DPMcVeigh @TheNationalNews

https://t.co/z7KPBxmMPA

#Media #SocialMedia #AI #ChildSafety #DigitalPolicy #TechRegulation #TheNational #Opinion #FutureOfMedia

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

Bienvenue aux Émirats, chère Madame Audouard. 🇪🇺🇫🇷🇦🇪

Paris-Abu Dhabi est au beau fixe. Vous arrivez donc au meilleur moment pour écrire le prochain chapitre de cette relation d’exception.

Tous mes vœux de succès pour votre nouvelle mission et au plaisir d’échanger prochainement.

@francediplo
@FranceEmirats #FranceEmirats
@mofauae

[France aux Emirats 🇫🇷🇪🇺 @FranceEmirats]

H.E. Marie Audouard, newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the United Arab Emirates, presented a copy of her credentials to H.E. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE Minister of State.

[Matt Fischer @mattfischer415]

For nearly 15 years, I sent @tim_cook a weekly report every Sunday night on the global App Store business. My team and I packed it with data, charts, and commentary on what was happening around the world.

Most weeks: silence. Every so often, a probing question would come back about a specific metric or market. Or, better, a note congratulating us on a strong quarter.

Those reports taught me a lot about discipline and accountability. No matter where I was in the world, I sent that report. Tim expected his leaders to know their businesses cold. Whenever I put anything in front of him, I needed to understand not just the numbers, but what was driving them and what we were doing about it. His expectations made me a much better leader.

On my last day at Apple, Tim and I had a 10-minute 1:1 scheduled. We talked for 30. Reflecting on my 21 years at the company, he told me my greatest accomplishment wasn’t helping build a $1 trillion App Store ecosystem or helping scale the business to more than one billion customers. It was the team I had built and the leaders I had developed who were ready to step up after I left. That meant the world to me. We took this photo together right after that conversation.

Today is Tim’s last day as CEO of Apple. Much has been written about what he and the company accomplished under his leadership. But perhaps his greatest legacy is the one he taught me to value: the people he developed, the culture he shaped, and the leaders ready to carry it forward.

I’ll always be grateful I got to be a part of it.

[Tim Cook @tim_cook]

Sending lots of love to the Apple community on my last day as CEO. My title changes tomorrow, but the love I have for the Apple community never will. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration. My gratitude is endless, and I’m excited for the next chapter!

[Lucas Shaw @Lucas_Shaw]

Over the last few months, YouTube creator/director @markiplier has acquired an 8.5% stake in @GoPro.

He’s the camera company’s largest individual shareholder.

I spoke with Mark about why he’s betting on a company that is at risk of insolvency.

https://t.co/jALr1c1oN9

[UAEGOV @UAEmediaoffice]

#رئيس_الدولة يصدر قراراً بإنشاء البرنامج الوطني للعلوم والتقنيات المتقدمة . . وتشكيل لجنة عليا برئاسة سمو الشيخ منصور بن زايد للإشراف على البرنامج ومساراته

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

After 13 years, a new “Grand Theft Auto” is finally coming out. Gamers have deemed it an unofficial holiday, and they’re using their PTO accordingly. https://t.co/tQ50CN7bUp

[Bloomberg @business]

The United Arab Emirates’ central bank said it will investigate Banque Misr after the Treasury Department moved to cut off the Egyptian bank’s UAE branches from the US financial system as part of sanctions against Iran. https://t.co/L4ti7b6Dbt

[العربية @AlArabiya]

ضمن فعاليات معرض Gamescom بألمانيا.. رئيس مجموعة MBC وليد آل إبراهيم يزور جناح MBC Game Studio ويطلع على أولى ألعاب الاستوديو Thread of Mizan 1001

[العربية @AlArabiya]

رئيس مجموعة MBC وليد آل إبراهيم يزور جناح MBC Game Studio ويطلع على أولى ألعاب الاستوديو Thread of Mizan 1001

[Syrian Response @SyrianResponse]

Only fair that our first response goes to @FrenchResponse.

Merci for the warm welcome. On y va!

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

MBC GROUP Chairman Waleed Al-Ibrahim at #Gamescom 🇩🇪 supporting MBC Game Studio’s first AAA game reveal, and the new generation of players across the globe.

@MBCGroup
#MGS #1001ThreadsOfMizan

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

Well-earned. Well-deserved. Congrats, Nigel Vaz and the entire Publicis Sapient team - Publicis Groupe’s tech, AI and digital transformation jewel in the crown.

Maurice Lévy saw the shift before most did. The bet on technology, AI and digital transformation wasn’t just visionary. It was strategic, future-proofing Publicis and keeping the Group ahead of where clients’ needs, expectations and businesses were heading.

This TIME recognition is another reminder that the bet was right.

•••
@PublicisGroupe @PublicisSapient
@PublicisMedia
@vaznigel @BasselKakish @TonyWazen

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

Are social media platforms being forced to acknowledge that protecting minors may require limiting engagement by design?

Well, for years, the debate around social media and children has largely been about whether platforms should impose meaningful guardrails.

>> Meta’s $18 billion settlement with US states is significant not simply because of the size of the cheque, but because of the behavioral changes attached to it:
> Two-hour daily limits for under-18 users
> Overnight access blocked by default
> No notifications during school hours
> 15-minute continuous-use prompts
> Expanded parental controls
> And potentially, similar measures across TikTok and YouTube.

Meta denies wrongdoing as part of the settlement. But, the structure is particularly telling:
>> Meta will pay $12.7 billion regardless, but the remaining $5.3 billion is conditional on YouTube and TikTok adopting comparable safeguards and contributing financially.
>> That turns a settlement into something bigger: competitive pressure for industry-wide guardrails.

Meta is already publicly pushing rivals to follow suit:
>> TikTok, YouTube and Snap have so far been cautious but once one major platform introduces restrictions by default, not doing so increasingly becomes a reputational, regulatory and potentially legal risk.
>> And the broader tech landscape is moving in the same direction.

>> Alphabet’s most recent agreement to pay £260 million to settle a UK class-action case over Google Play developer commissions is another reminder that regulators and courts are increasingly challenging the economics and practices of Big Tech, not just its content.

There is an important caveat here:
>> $18 billion sounds enormous. For Meta, spread over a decade, it is ultimately a cost of doing business.

>> The real significance is therefore not the fine. It is the precedent!

The industry is being pushed toward a new social-media model in which engagement is no longer the only KPI that matters especially when the user is a child.
>> And that may be the most consequential development of all.

In sum, are social media platforms being forced to acknowledge that protecting minors may require limiting engagement by design? That’s the question.

#SocialMedia #Meta #TikTok #YouTube #BigTech #TeenSafety #DigitalWellbeing #Media #Technology #Regulation

[robertjdenault @robertjdenault]

The New York Times published a story today about prediction markets. They asked us a series of questions, then ignored almost every answer that didn’t align with the narrative that was being pushed. So we’re sharing our answers below. https://t.co/j6TAYNWiGN

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

The bigger story behind RedBird’s potential $250M PUCK deal: What is Jerry Cardinale really buying?

>> This looks like Cardinale potentially paying a premium for PUCK and the strategic value, relationships and positive media positioning that could come with it.

The key question is therefore less about whether a $250M valuation is justified, and more about what RedBird is ultimately assembling across its expanding media holdings.

>> PUCK’s model - premium journalism built around influential writers covering politics, entertainment, finance and fashion - fits a broader thesis around high-value content, IP and talent-driven media, rather than simply buying audiences.

That creator-led model is central to PUCK’s value:

>> Journalists such as Matthew Belloni, who covers Hollywood, have attracted thousands of paying readers, tying PUCK’s value closely to individual authors and their audiences.

>> The potential deal would also come as rival digital media group Semafor raised $30M in January 2026 at a $330M valuation, placing PUCK’s reported $250M valuation within an increasingly competitive premium digital-media market.

>> More importantly, the potential PUCK acquisition would add another piece to RedBird’s broader media strategy, spanning premium journalism, creator-led media, Hollywood production, sports, entertainment and major legacy-media assets.

RedBird’s portfolio already includes Artists Equity, Fulwell Entertainment and All3Media-Banijay, following the combination that created one of Europe’s largest multimedia production groups.

RedBird is also a key backer of the Paramount-Skydance ($111 bn) bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), a transaction currently facing major legal delays amid state antitrust challenges.

So, the bigger story may not necessarily be who owns PUCK, but what RedBird is building across media, content, talent and IP - and whether paying $250M for PUCK is ultimately about the business itself, or the strategic and reputational value that comes with owning a premium media platform with access to Hollywood industry power spheres.

@reuters @PuckNews @MattBelloni

🔗 Read the Original Reuters Exclusive: “Puck in advanced talks for investment by RedBird Capital Partners at $250 million valuation.”

https://t.co/TgqmbL7ysE

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

Meta’s $16.68bn Teen Social Media Settlement: The Guardrails Are Catching Up!

>> But the question is: Where does engagement end and addiction begin - particularly for children and teenagers?

Meta’s reported deal to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle the landmark US teen social-media case could mark a major inflection point for the industry.

Beyond the financial hit, the proposed settlement would force new guardrails on Facebook and Instagram - including limits on how long young users can scroll and parental consent for disabling certain safety settings.

>> The case could set a significant precedent: platforms may increasingly be expected not merely to provide safety tools, but to build safety into the product architecture itself.

For an industry built around maximizing time spent, that is a profound shift in the rules of the game.

>> Disclaimer: U.S. judge needs to sign off on the settlement.

🔗 ©️Reuters

[Bernard Arnault @BernardArnault]

Ému et heureux d'être reçu par Sa Sainteté le pape Léon XIV à Castel Gandolfo, avant sa venue en France.

Le Saint-Père priera à Notre-Dame de Paris, qui renaît de ses cendres.

Symbole intemporel de foi et du génie français — bâtie sur des siècles, relevée en quelques années.

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

A new chapter for MENA gaming: MBC GROUP has opened a new chapter for MENA gaming with the launch of MBC Game Studio (MGS) and the global reveal of its first AAA title, ‘1001 Threads of Mizan’, at Gamescom in Cologne.

>> The co-op fantasy action-adventure brings flying carpets, colossal jinn and Arabian mythology into a large-scale gaming universe - combining fast-paced ground and aerial traversal, epic combat and immersive exploration in a world inspired by the region’s storytelling heritage.

>> But the bigger story is what sits behind the game.

MGS positions MBC GROUP to move beyond content distribution and into original gaming IP, global franchises and interactive entertainment - a strategic direction aligned with the broader ambition to establish the Middle East as a global gaming and esports hub, while building local creative capabilities and internationally relevant IP.

“Gaming provides an opportunity to develop original IP, enter new markets, reach global audiences and create new avenues for long-term growth - demonstrating the strength and diversity of our business model.” ~ Waleed Al-Ibrahim, Chairman, MBC GROUP.

For MBC, the opportunity is to create entertainment IP from the region that can travel globally - extending the Group’s footprint into one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment sectors.

“The reveal marks an important milestone in the Group’s gaming journey and supports our broader ambition to build a global entertainment business rooted in the Middle East, for a new generation of players across the globe.” ~ @MikeSneesby, CEO, MBC GROUP.

>> The significance of ‘1001 Threads of Mizan’ therefore goes beyond a first game launch: it is an early statement of intent in the race to turn MENA’s stories, talent and cultural assets into globally scalable gaming IP.

@MBCGroup

[Mazen HAYEK @HayekMG]

> Official Trailer for MBC Game Studio’s First AAA Title, ‘1001 Threads of Mizan,’ Unveiled at Gamescom Opening Night Live - Cologne, Germany.

@MBCGroup @MikeSneesby