Meta policy chief Joel Kaplan to leave in 2027 as oversight board flags recurring election moderation failures

Meta Platforms’ chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan plans to leave in 2027 after more than 15 years as a key adviser to chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, Axios reported on Tuesday.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed he stays through November’s midterms and into 2027 to oversee the transition, with President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick adding external affairs to her portfolio, Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney assuming additional policy duties, and Brian Rice (US government affairs) and Tucker Bounds (communications and public affairs) also involved.

“Joel has worked on virtually every tough issue Meta has faced for more than 15 years,” Zuckerberg told Axios. “And throughout all of it, he’s been a strong advocate for our policies, and a friend to me.”

Kaplan joined Facebook in 2011 after serving as deputy White House chief of staff for policy under President George W. Bush; he is a former Marine artillery officer and Harvard Law graduate. He took Meta’s top policy role ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House in early 2025, and announced his planned departure on X without saying what he will do next.

The news came as Meta’s Oversight Board warned of “recurring” enforcement failures in moderation around the US midterms and Brazil’s presidential election: “It’s clear that Meta must do more to ensure that its enforcement practices during elections are transparent and consistent, and that political speech is protected rather than stifled.”

The board also noted Saturday’s temporary deactivation of a “No Kings” Instagram account linked to groups protesting Trump; spokesman Andy Stone apologised on X, blaming automated systems that had hit accounts posting, sharing and commenting at “very high frequencies” (Dawn).