Joel Kaplan to Leave Meta After 15 Years

Meta's long-standing ties to Republican leadership and its evolving relationship with the Trump administration will face a leadership transition as Joel Kaplan, the company's global policy chief and a senior adviser to Mark Zuckerberg, prepares to leave after 15 years. Kaplan announced his departure on Tuesday, with Meta saying he will remain in his role through the midterm elections before leaving sometime in 2027.

Kaplan, 57, has led Meta's Washington policy team for more than a decade. A former senior adviser to George W. Bush, he helped shape the company's political relationships and most recently worked to strengthen its ties to President Donald Trump's administration, according to the company's account of his tenure.

Meta said Kaplan's responsibilities will be divided between Dina Powell McCormick, the company's president and vice chairman, and C.J. Mahoney, its chief legal officer. Both joined Meta in January as Zuckerberg expanded his senior leadership team.

Zuckerberg credited Kaplan with helping the company navigate policy challenges as its products reached a global audience. In a company statement, Zuckerberg said:

"When he arrived, there was no playbook for ensuring our products would be available to the billions of people around the world who now rely on them," said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive. "And throughout all of it, he's been a strong advocate for our policies, and a friend to me."

Kaplan's departure comes as Meta continues to adjust its leadership structure and political strategy. Zuckerberg has developed closer ties with Trump, appearing prominently at the president's inauguration and sitting beside him at luncheons attended by other technology executives.

Powell McCormick, a prominent Washington figure, was hired in January to lead Meta's data center expansion, including financing and public relations. Mahoney, also hired that month, oversaw a $17.1 billion settlement Meta reached with states in August over harms related to child safety, according to the source report.

Other recent leadership changes include David Ginsberg's move last month from his longtime role overseeing communications and public affairs to a position focused on artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg hired Alexandr Wang last year as chief AI officer to lead development of the technology.

Kaplan joined Meta when it was still a relatively young social media company, with a role focused on strengthening relationships with Republican leaders. He later became one of Zuckerberg's principal advisers and helped guide the company through major controversies, including the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal involving the use of Facebook user data without consent to build voter profiles.

In 2025, Kaplan became Meta's head of global policy, succeeding Nick Clegg, a former deputy prime minister of Britain. His planned departure was first reported by Axios, according to The New York Times.