Facebook is About to Get Much More Policy Oriented

You may have seen today that Facebook hired Google executive Sheryl Sandberg to be the social network's COO.

There is notable relevance to this move in these tech policy parts. First, in the press release announcing the move, Facebook noted that she would be in charge of "public policy". This isn't some empty throw-on responsibility for Sandberg. It's safe to predict that it won't be long before Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly has some extra help and we're not writing about the company making a single hire in DC.

First off, before she was at Google, she was Chief of Staff to the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton. She carried this DC experience to Google where she was one of the few executives there openly and actively involved in politics. For example, she is a big supporter of Hillary Clinton and has frequently served as host to policy makers on their visits to the Googleplex.

Sandberg should be able to serve as a forceful voice for policy engagement at Facebook. She's certainly seen the movie before at Google.

Sandberg will also likely carry over a philanthropic bent to her new job. She was instrumental in starting Google's foundation and rolls in the Davos-elite circles. (You can envision Bono getting a Facebook page soon).