Facebook Confirms ‘Dislike’ Button Is in Development, After Years of User Requests

During a live question-and-answer session at Facebook headquarters on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg revealed the company has been working on a “dislike” button.

Zuckerberg acknowledged people have been asking for such a feature for several years, but Tuesday 15th September marked the first time the company said a “dislike” button was in development.

“People have asked about the ‘dislike’ button for many years … and probably hundreds of people have asked about this. Today is a special day because today is the day that I actually get to say we are working on it, and are very close to shipping a test of it,” Zuckerberg said Tuesday during the Q & A in Menlo Park.

Zuckerberg was also clear that the button won’t be designed to express negative thoughts, but rather “expressing empathy.” The “dislike” button will not be for upvoting or downvoting comments and posts.

“What they really want is the ability to express empathy. Not every moment is a good moment,” Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg said the feature could launch “soon.”