Meta policy chief Joel Kaplan to leave the company after more than 15 years

Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, will leave the company next year after more than 15 years as its top policy executive, Axios reported on Tuesday 20 October. The Wall Street Journal also reported his departure.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement to Axios: “Joel has worked on virtually every tough issue Meta has faced for more than 15 years.” Zuckerberg added that Kaplan had “been a strong advocate for our policies, and a friend to me.”

According to Axios, Kaplan will stay through the US midterm elections on 3 November and into 2027 to oversee a transition. Dina Powell McCormick, Meta’s president and vice chairman, will add external affairs to her responsibilities. Chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney will also take on policy responsibilities, alongside Brian Rice, Meta’s head of US government affairs, and Tucker Bounds, its global head of communications and public affairs, Axios reported.

Kaplan, a former deputy White House chief of staff under President George W. Bush, built the company’s US policy team when it was still Facebook, according to Axios.