Learn the Inside Memo That Meta’s High Lawyer Despatched Saying She’s Becoming a member of Apple

Apple has employed Meta’s high lawyer, Jennifer Newstead, as its subsequent common counsel, extending a broader reshuffle of the iPhone maker’s senior ranks.

Newstead will be a part of Apple in January as a senior vp, reporting to CEO Tim Prepare dinner, and is ready to change into common counsel on March 1, 2026, succeeding longtime authorized chief Kate Adams, who plans to retire late subsequent yr, Apple stated in a press launch.

In the identical announcement, Apple stated Lisa Jackson, its vp for Surroundings, Coverage, and Social Initiatives, will retire in late January 2026. Her Authorities Affairs group will first transfer below Adams after which to Newstead after Adams departs, whereas Apple’s surroundings and social initiatives groups will report back to Chief Working Officer Sabih Khan — successfully placing each authorized and authorities affairs below Newstead as soon as the transition is full.

The transfer is the most recent within the management pipeline dance between Apple and Meta. On Wednesday, Meta poached Apple’s longtime human interface design chief Alan Dye, who is ready to change into Meta’s chief design officer on the finish of the yr.

Newstead’s soar to Apple means Meta is dropping the lawyer who has overseen its most delicate authorized and regulatory battles for greater than six years. She has served as Meta’s high lawyer since 2019, overseeing the corporate’s historic win in opposition to the FTC in November when a federal choose rejected the company’s bid to pressure Meta to unwind its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions.

At Meta, her remit has additionally included steering the corporate via fast-changing privateness guidelines, together with cross-border knowledge transfers in Europe and authorized questions tied to content material moderation and elections.

Earlier than becoming a member of Meta, Newstead served because the State Division’s authorized advisor, a Senate-confirmed function through which she led the authorized workforce advising the Secretary of state on US international coverage.

Enterprise Insider obtained Newstead’s inside memo asserting her departure. Learn it right here:

Hello everybody –

I need to share with you that after six and a half years at this exceptional firm, I’ve made the tough choice to go away Meta on the finish of this yr to pursue my subsequent journey.

Serving as Meta’s Chief Authorized Officer has been a privilege. I’m deeply grateful to Mark for his visionary management, friendship, and belief in me to champion Meta’s trigger. I am additionally grateful to Sheryl Sandberg, for serving to to recruit me, for her empathetic management and friendship, and to all my colleagues and buddies in Mark’s management workforce, who information the groups constructing the merchandise that billions of individuals use and love.

I’m happy with the distinctive work of Meta’s authorized workforce. It has been an honor to work with colleagues of such expertise and integrity. Your experience and deep perception within the mission will proceed to be foundational to Meta’s future.

I joined Meta in 2019 from the State Division after an extended profession in regulation, authorities, and coverage as a result of I believed in our mission and wished to assist the corporate navigate an vital set of adjustments within the authorized and regulatory panorama. Over the past seven years, we have hit many milestones, together with our current win in a historic antitrust trial. We have now deepened our compliance tradition and dedication to accountable innovation as we construct for the thrilling future forward.

As for me, I shall be becoming a member of Apple subsequent yr as Senior Vice President, serving as Common Counsel and overseeing the Authorities Affairs operate. This new function is a novel alternative for me to proceed shaping authorized and coverage points all over the world.

Thanks all for making this journey so significant. I sit up for seeing all that you simply obtain within the years forward.

Jen