This 2020 photo shows Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer. (GEORGE FREY / BLOOMBERG)

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg addressed a recent series of negative stories about the company for the first time by saying accusations that it puts profit over user safety are “just not true.”

“It’s difficult to see coverage that misrepresents our work and our motives. At the most basic level, I think most of us just don’t recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted,” he wrote in a note to employees on Tuesday that he also posted publicly.

It came shortly after whistle-blower Frances Haugen, a former employee, testified in a Senate hearing about her experience there and internal research she said showed the company prioritized profit while stoking division. Haugen appeared on “60 Minutes” Sunday night, saying Facebook routinely made decisions that put business interests ahead of user safety. 

READ MORE: Facebook blames huge outage on network configuration change

The Wall Street Journal published internal Facebook research last month, provided by Haugen, that showed Instagram made some mental health issues worse for teenagers who use the product. The company, which was building a version of Instagram for children, has put that project on hold. 

Facebook doesn’t benefit from content that makes people angry or depressed or make all product decisions to maximize user interactions. 

Mark Zuckerberg,

Facebook Chief Executive Officer

“When it comes to young people’s health or well-being, every negative experience matters,” the CEO wrote. “We have worked for years on industry-leading efforts to help people in these moments and I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”

Facebook doesn’t benefit from content that makes people angry or depressed or make all product decisions to maximize user interactions, Zuckerberg said. When it changed its News Feed algorithm to show more posts from friends and family a few years back, the CEO added, the company did so knowing that people would spend less time on the service.

Zuckerberg ended the note by encouraging Facebook’s workforce and expressing his gratitude for their work.

ALSO READ: Twitter, Facebook struggle to control racist use of emojis