One of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) highest profile executives has left the company today according to a report from Allthingsd.com. The executive, Bret Taylor Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer, left the company in order to pursue future – a future start up. The nature of that start up was not revealed in the report.
The move will probably not be well received by investors in the social networking company. The departure of one of the company’s most senior executives, so soon after the firm’s offering will not reflect well on the health of the company.
Facebook has had many sceptical of its future since its IPO. Bret Taylor became Facebook’s CTO in 2009 after the company acquired the social networking site Friendfeed. Taylor formally worked at Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and was instrumental in the creation of one of that companies most iconic services.
Taylor is the co-creator of Google Maps which he worked on in 2005. His talents are clearly evident from his past work and his future, in whatever start up he pursues, is likely secured.
Taylor tried to calm the markets clearly on his departure from the company. He said that he had a talented team working under him and he had full confidence in the two executives who were to replace him, Mike Vernal and Cory Ondreijka.
He also said that he and Mark Zuckerberg had an understanding about his wishes to leave the company. Despite those assurances the departure of Taylor is unlikely to inspire any confidence in the company. It’s no coincidence that the information became public on a Friday evening after the close of the markets and far away from the market’s open.
