Facebook is losing its top lawyer, Colin Stretch
- Colin Stretch, a top lawyer at Facebook who joined the company in 2010, announced he's stepping down at the end of the year.
- Stretch led the social network's investigation of Russia's 2016 election interference, and testified before Congress on the matter last fall.
- He confirmed his departure plans in a Facebook post published Tuesday night, citing plans he and his wife made "several years ago" to move back to Washington, DC.
- Stretch is the second Facebook exec in a little more than a month to announce his departure. In June, Facebook policy boss Elliot Schrage said he would step down after 10 years with the company.
Facebook lawyer Colin Stretch says he's leaving the company.
Stretch announced his plan to step down in a Facebook post published Tuesday night. He will make his final exit at the end of the year.
"When my wife Alyse and I made the decision a few years ago to move back to DC from California, we knew it would be difficult for me to remain in this role indefinitely," Stretch wrote.
"As Facebook embraces the broader responsibility Mark [Zuckerberg] has discussed in recent months, I've concluded that the company and the Legal team need sustained leadership in Menlo Park."
Stretch joined Facebook in 2010. He has been instrumental in the social network's own investigation of Russia's 2016 election interference, as federal inquiries on the matter were undertaken in Washington. He testified before Congress on the issue last fall.
Stretch's announcement comes a little more than a month after another top Facebook exec, policy boss Elliot Schrage said he would leave after 10 years with the company.
The announcements from Schrage and Stretch are happening as Facebook remains steeped in challenges on multiple fronts - including questions about its efforts to stop further interference from Russia, and its decisions about how to moderate controversial user content posted on the site.