Who is Joel Kaplan? Meta and Mark Zuckerberg’s longtime Washington adviser to leave Meta

Meta’s long-term top Washington adviser and chief global affairs officer has announced to leave the company, ending more than 15 years of advising CEO Mark Zuckerberg on political and policy matters. Kaplan has been a well-known figure for Meta in terms of shaping Meta’s approach to government policies, regulation, and political issues. He also helped Meta strengthen its engagement with Donald Trump’s incoming administration as it prepared to take office.

In a statement to Axios, Zuckerberg said, “Joel has worked on virtually every tough issue Meta has faced for more than 15 years.” He also revisited the time when Kaplan joined, saying that “there was no playbook for ensuring our products would be available to the billions of people around the world who now rely on them. And throughout all of it, he's been a strong advocate for our policies, and a friend to me.”

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Who is Joel Kaplan?

Kaplan joined Facebook, now Meta, in 2011 to build the company’s U.S. policy and lobbying team from scratch. Within the company, he became a prominent figure and longtime Republican strategist, playing a key role in shaping Meta’s political relationships and government affairs strategy in Washington.

In 2025, he was promoted to Chief Global Affairs Officer, succeeding Nick Clegg. Before joining Meta, Kaplan served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009. He was also a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and spent four years as an artillery officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

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In terms of education, he is a Harvard University and Harvard Law School graduate.

Announcing the departure, Kaplan in an X post said, “It has been a true privilege to work with Mark – one of the great founders, builders, and strategic CEOs in history.”

Who will take over Joel Kaplan’s responsibilities at Meta?

According to the Axios report, Kaplan plans to remain at Meta through the US midterm elections, which are scheduled for November 2026, and will continue into 2027 to support the handover.

Amid the transition, Dina Powell McCormick, Meta’s president and vice chairman, will take on external affairs responsibilities in addition to her existing role. She also helps CEO Mark Zuckerberg with strategic priorities and co-leads Meta’s AI infrastructure initiative.

C.J. Mahoney, Meta’s chief legal officer, will also take on policy responsibilities. Brian Rice, former aide to US Secretary of State John Kerry, was promoted earlier in 2026 to lead Meta’s US government affairs. Lastly, Tucker Bounds, former spokesperson for Senator John McCain, was appointed Meta’s global head of communications and public affairs in September 2026.

It showcases that Meta is bringing together executives with different political and government backgrounds to manage its relationships with policymakers.