Meta Platforms Inc, Facebook’s parent company, recently revealed its head of communications had resigned, the company said in a statement late Friday last week.
Firstly reported by the Wall Street Journal at the time, it was learned John Pinette, Head of Communications for Meta, stepped down from his role at the newly-branded Metaverse firm.
Friday night news: Meta’s head of communications is leaving the company. https://t.co/DbyJpEr7rx
— Meghan Bobrowsky (@MeghanBobrowsky) January 8, 2022
Pinette first joined Facebook in May 2019 and previously worked for Gates Ventures, the office and innovation firm for Bill Gates, Former Chief Executive for Microsoft. He also worked as Google’s Head of Communications in the Asia-Pacific, among many others, LinkedIn data shows.
According to a statement from the Menlo Park-based firm emailed to Reuters, Chris Norton, Vice-President of International Communications, will fill in the role as the firm searches for a replacement.
The statement read,
“John Pinette has left Meta. We are thankful for his positive contributions during an intense and significant time in the company’s history, and we wish him well going forward”
Meta added it could not provide reasons behind the resignation as it could not comment on personal matters, Reuters reported.
Pressure, Criticisms Mount amid Metaverse Pivot
The development comes after Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Founder and Chief Executive, revealed Facebook would pivot to becoming a Metaverse firm in an interview in early August.
The massive tech company later rebranded to Meta at the Connect Event 2021 in late October and debuted numerous Metaverse tools, technologies, and plans.
Just a month before the event, Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s veteran Chief Technology Officer, announced he would resign from his post in 2022 after his 13-year-long career with the firm.
Andrew Bosworth, Vice-President of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) at Meta, replacing him.
Nick Clegg, Head of Global Affairs and Communication for Meta, currently faces tense talks with officials in the United States, United Kingdom, and shareholders to provide reassurances his firm’s Metaverse ambitions would guarantee protection for young users with security and privacy laws.
The pressure follows leaks from Frances Haugen, Former Facebook Data Scientist, who leaked a trove of documents that claim then-Facebook failed to protect young users of the platform, leading to the death of a young woman allegedly exposed to harmful online content.
