Meta’s public policy leadership will change as chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan prepares to leave in 2027 and President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick takes on external affairs, a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.
Kaplan has spent about 15 years at Meta, Reuters reported. Axios separately reported that Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney is expected to take on policy responsibilities. The reports identify new duties for both executives but do not establish who will assume Kaplan’s full role.
Meta appointed Powell McCormick president and vice chairman on Jan. 12, 2026. The company said at the time that her work would include strategy, infrastructure investments and capital partnerships. External affairs will be an addition to that portfolio.
Kaplan’s departure follows a change in Meta’s approach to content rules. In a Jan. 7, 2025, announcement published under his name, the company set out plans to replace third-party fact-checking in the United States with Community Notes. Meta also said it would relax restrictions on some topics and focus enforcement on illegal content and serious rule violations.
Before his time at Meta, Kaplan served in President George W. Bush’s administration. A White House announcement dated April 19, 2006, named him assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg credited Kaplan with handling “virtually every tough issue” the company had faced during his tenure, according to a statement given to Axios.
The Federal Election Commission lists Nov. 3 as the date of the next regularly scheduled federal general election. Axios reported that Kaplan is expected to remain through the U.S. midterms and into 2027 to help manage the transition.
