为了保护隐私，Facebook不惜赶走高管

Facebook的首席执行官马克·扎克伯格于3月14日宣布，首席产品官克里斯·科克斯与WhatsApp的副总裁克里斯·丹尼尔斯将离开公司。对于这家问题缠身的社交网络而言，上述高管的离职只不过是近期该公司高管离职潮的缩影。

科克斯的离职对于Facebook的影响尤为重大，他曾经是公司招聘的首批15名工程人员之一。随着公司的发展壮大，科克斯的职位也是水涨船高，职责涉及Facebook包括News Feed在内的各类产品，以及公司的策略。Facebook的一份监管报备文件显示，科克斯在3月11日发布了这一声明。

科克斯在其Facebook页面的留言中表示，Facebook正在调整其策略，意图打造一个横跨各个应用的私密消息发送网络，这也成为了他离开公司的导火索。

他写道：“正如马克所规划的那样，我们掀开了产品发展方向的新篇章，即专注于加密、可互操作的信息发送网络。这个产品愿景反映了当今的主题：打造在表达、安全、保密和隐私领域较为均衡的现代化交流平台。这将是一个大项目，而且我们需要热衷于此事的领袖来掌控业务发展的新方向。”

首席执行官扎克伯格在宣布上述变化的一篇博文中表示，他十分欣赏科克斯“想公司服务对象之所想的做法，以及他在每一项工作中所体现的乐观精神。”扎克伯格还宣布，WhatsApp的副总裁克里斯·丹尼尔斯也将离开公司。在执掌WhatsApp之前，丹尼尔斯曾经负责Facebook的业务开发团队，并领导扎克伯格慈善企业Internet.org，该公司致力于在发展中国家提供互联网连接。

扎克伯格写道：“克里斯是我所见过的思维最清晰、最有原则的商业思想者之一，他曾经帮助我们解决了各种各样的挑战，令人叹为观止。与克里斯共事是一件非常开心的事情，无论他今后选择从事什么职业，我相信他都会做的十分出色。尽管他的离职令人十分惋惜，但也为更多对公司今后发展道路感到振奋的优秀领导者创造了机会，他们也将借此承担更重要的全新职责。”

扎克伯格说，前Facebook应用业务负责人威尔·卡斯卡特被任命为WhatsApp的新负责人。Facebook视频、游戏和货币化业务副总裁费吉·西莫将担任Facebook应用业务负责人。对于科克斯的职务，扎克伯格表示在近期内没有任命任何人的打算，而是会依靠Facebook各个业务部门的负责人。

科克斯与丹尼尔斯是离开Facebook的新一批高管。在经历了隐私丑闻以及人们对平台上持续传播的假新闻的斥责之后，公司正在试图给自己进行重新定位。

去年9月，Instagram的联合创始人麦克·克里格与凯文·西斯特罗姆离开了公司，据报道，这两人与扎克伯格之间的关系十分紧张。WhatsApp其中一位创始人简·科姆去年在其联合创始人布莱恩·阿克顿离职前往其他新公司数月之后也离开了公司。阿克顿自那之后便发声鼓励人们删除Facebook，而且在3月13日还再次呼吁过。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审校：夏林

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on March 14 that Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, and WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels, will be leaving the company, marking the latest in a string of executive departures for the embattled social network.

Cox’s departure is especially enormous for Facebook, where he was one of the first 15 engineering hires. As the company grew, Cox climbed his way through the ranks, touching every key Facebook product, including its News Feed, and most recently the company’s strategy. Cox gave his notice on March 11, according to a regulatory filing from Facebook.

In a note posted to his Facebook page, Cox said the shift in Facebook strategy toward create a private messaging network across its apps made it the right time for him to step aside.

“As Mark has outlined, we are turning a new page in our product direction, focused on an encrypted, interoperable, messaging network. It’s a product vision attuned to the subject matter of today: a modern communications platform that balances expression, safety, security, and privacy,” he wrote. “This will be a big project and we will need leaders who are excited to see the new direction through.”

Zuckerberg said he appreciates Cox’s “deep empathy for the people using our services and the uplifting spirit he brings to everything he does,” according to a blog post by the CEO announcing the changes. Zuckerberg also announced that WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels is leaving the company. Prior to leading WhatsApp, Daniels ran the business development team at Facebook and led Internet.org, Zuckerberg’s philanthropic venture to bring Internet connectivity to the developing world.

“Chris is one of the clearest and most principled business thinkers I’ve met and the diversity of challenges he has helped us navigate is impressive. I’ve really enjoyed working with Chris and I’m sure he will do great work at whatever he chooses to take on next,” Zuckerberg wrote. “While it is sad to lose such great people, this also creates opportunities for more great leaders who are energized about the path ahead to take on new and bigger roles.”

Will Cathcart, who previously was head of the Facebook app, was named the new head of WhatsApp. Fidji Simo, vice president of video, games, and monetization at Facebook, will take over as the head of the Facebook app, Zuckerberg said. As for Cox’s role, Zuckerberg said he doesn’t plan to appoint anyone in the near term, and will instead rely on the heads of each business unit at Facebook.

Cox and Daniels are the latest executives to leave Facebook, as the company tries to reposition itself after dealing with privacy scandals and the ongoing scourge of fake news spreading on the platform.

Last September, Instagram co-founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, quit after reported tensions with Zuckerberg. Jan Koum, one of the co-founders of WhatsApp, also left the company last year, months after his co-founder, Brian Acton, left to pursue other ventures. Acton has since been vocal encouraging people to delete Facebook, renewing the call on March 13.