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Facebook hires another Google Exec

May 6th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Techcrunch reports that another executive has defected from Google to Facebook. Elliot Schrage, VP of global communications and public affairs will be joining Facebook in a similar role.

Recent jumpship’s from Google include COO, Sheryl Sandberg and CFO Gideon Yu. The recent pattern of hiring seasoned veterans from Google to staff it’s CFO and COO roles seems to suggest that Facebook may be eyeing an IPO in the near future.

Techcrunch got hold of the leaked letter from Zuckerberg. Transcript below.

Hey Everyone –

I’m writing from India to share with you the good news that Elliot Schrage will be joining our management team as VP Communications and Public Policy. In this role, he will be responsible for developing the key messages we want people to understand about our products, our business and the growing global importance of social networking and what we do. The goal here is to help people understand how the internet can strengthen people’s relationships. Elliot will direct our efforts to work with users, media, governments and other entities around the world to ensure that Facebook’s policies are transparent, responsive, effective and are recognized as being those things.

Elliot is joining us from Google where he has been their VP Global Communications and Public Affairs since 2005. At Google, he broadened the company’s messaging from a focus on only product PR to include all aspects of corporate, financial, policy, philanthropic and internal communications. Before that, he served as a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a public policy think tank, as a professor at Columbia Business School and as SVP at Gap. Early on, he began his career as a Harvard-trained lawyer.

This is a really important role for us and one that we’ve been trying to find the right person for a while. Elliot’s role will be critical to helping us scale based on our culture that values transparency, openness, and honest internal communications.

Elliot will be starting on May 14, although you may see him around the office before then.

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