Joel Kaplan reportedly set to leave Meta in 2027 after 15-plus years

Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, is set to leave the company in 2027 after more than 15 years as Mark Zuckerberg’s top Washington adviser, Mike Allen reports for Axios. Kaplan will stay through the 2026 midterms and into 2027 for a transition involving external affairs executives from both sides of the aisle, according to the report.

Kaplan built Facebook’s U.S. policy team from scratch and led its global policy team through years of growth and controversy, Axios reports. Zuckerberg told Axios in a statement: “Joel has worked on virtually every tough issue Meta has faced for more than 15 years.”

How the duties are changing

Meta president and vice chairman Dina Powell McCormick will add external affairs to her portfolio, while chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney will gain policy responsibilities, according to Axios. Mahoney took the legal role in January. Brian Rice, Meta’s head of U.S. government affairs, and Tucker Bounds, its global head of communications and public affairs, among executives involved in the transition.