Meta's global affairs officer Joel Kaplan to leave company after 15 years
FILE PHOTO: Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, arrives to attend a Federal Trade Commission trial that could force the company to unwind its acquisitions of messaging platform WhatsApp and image-sharing app Instagram, at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo
Oct 20 : Meta Platforms' chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan will leave the company next year after 15 years there, a spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.
President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick will add external affairs to her portfolio, the spokesperson said.
• The move comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections
• McCormick was part of the Donald Trump administration during his first stint as US president
• Kaplan was elevated to Meta's top policy role in January last year, as the social media giant rolled back US fact-checking, ended diversity initiatives and sought closer ties with Trump
• A longtime Republican strategist, Kaplan served as deputy chief of staff for policy in the administration of George W. Bush
• Meta is among the tech companies facing questions over AI's impacts, as concerns mount over safety and the industry’s growing footprint among local communities
• Trump recently said tech executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, had agreed to establish voluntary AI standards
