Jan 6, 2026 - Business

Exclusive: Meta hires Microsoft's C.J. Mahoney as chief legal officer

Sara Fischer

Smiling man with short dark hair wearing a light beige button-up shirt with initials C.J.M., arms crossed, against a plain light gray background. — C.J. Mahoney. Photo: Courtesy of Meta

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday announced that C.J. Mahoney, formerly a senior legal executive at Microsoft and deputy U.S. trade representative during President Trump's first term, will join Meta as its new chief legal officer, according to an internal post seen by Axios.

State of play: Mahoney replaces Jennifer Newstead, who announced late last year that she would be leaving Meta after more than five years to become the general counsel at Apple.

Under Newstead, Meta won a major antitrust trial against the Federal Trade Commission that ensured it wouldn't need to divest Instagram or WhatsApp.

Between the lines: In addition to antitrust, Mahoney will be tasked with leading Meta's legal strategy globally across an array of policy issues, including data privacy, security, protecting teens online and more.

What they're saying: "C.J. brings world-class legal expertise, passion for frontier technology, and deep insight into the global regulatory challenges facing our industry," Zuckerberg noted in the post.

"I'm looking forward to working with him to advance Meta's mission to build the future of human connection."

What's next: Mahoney, who starts in his new role on Wednesday, will report directly to Zuckerberg, Axios confirmed.

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Exclusive: Meta hires Microsoft's C.J. Mahoney as chief legal officer

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