Facebook has a knack for hiring people away from top tech companies like Google, but, according to DealBook, the social network could now be eyeing a new hire from a place even more high profile than the Googleplex: The Obama Administration.
Facebook is currently in negotiations to bring former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs into the fold, according to sources familiar with the matter. Apparently, the company is looking to beef up its communications staff in advance of a planned initial public offering in early 2012.
Having been the face of the White House for President Obama's first two years in office, Gibbs is an exceptionally well known spokesman who has already built relationships with and been relied upon by some of the most high profile news organizations in the world. If Facebook can get him aboard, it could be a big boon for the company as it attempts the tricky task of fine-tuning its image before going public.
Gibbs has indicated a desire to help Obama's re-election campaign before taking a private sector job, and Facebook's likely multi-million dollar negotiations with him could still fall apart.
The admiration of talent between Silicon Valley and the Obama Administration goes both ways. Obama himself has been rumored to want outgoing Google CEO Eric Schmidt to become the nation's new Commerce Secretary. Schmidt previously served as an adviser to Obama during his presidential campaign.
[DealBook]
