In a significant move shaking up the Silicon Valley landscape, Apple has successfully recruited one of Meta's most crucial executives. The iPhone maker has brought on board Jennifer Newstead, who served as Meta's chief legal officer, just weeks after she led the social media giant to a major antitrust victory against US regulators.
A Strategic Hire and Executive Reshuffle
This recruitment marks a notable reversal in the ongoing talent battle between the two technology behemoths. For months, Meta has been actively poaching engineering and design talent from Apple. However, with this hire, Apple demonstrates it can effectively compete for top-tier leadership roles as well.
Jennifer Newstead will officially join Apple in January as a senior vice president. She is then scheduled to assume the role of General Counsel on March 1, 2026, succeeding Kate Adams. Adams is retiring after serving nearly eight years as Apple's top lawyer.
The announcement coincided with news of two other high-profile departures from Apple. Alongside Adams, the company's environmental chief, Lisa Jackson, will retire in late January 2026. Jackson has led Apple's sustainability initiatives for over a decade.
Meta Loses Its Legal Architect
Newstead's departure represents a substantial loss for Meta, where she has been the chief legal officer since 2019. She navigated the company through its most contentious regulatory fights during her tenure.
Her most prominent recent achievement was leading Meta's legal team to a crucial win in November. A federal judge rejected the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) attempt to force Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC had long challenged these acquisitions as anti-competitive.
In an internal memo, Newstead described her time at Meta as "a privilege" and praised CEO Mark Zuckerberg's "visionary leadership." She pointed to the antitrust victory as one of several key milestones, which also included managing complex privacy laws in Europe and addressing legal issues around content moderation and elections.
Newstead's Profile and Apple's Challenges Ahead
Before her stint at Meta, Newstead held several high-ranking positions in the US government. Her resume includes serving as a legal adviser at the U.S. State Department and holding various roles at the White House and the Department of Justice. She also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
At Apple, her responsibilities will be expansive. She will oversee both legal affairs and government relations, consolidating these two critical functions under her leadership.
This hire brings Apple seasoned legal expertise at a time when the company is facing increasing antitrust scrutiny and regulatory challenges across the globe. Simultaneously, it serves as a strategic counter-punch in the executive talent war with Meta. In recent months, Apple has seen its head of design and more than ten artificial intelligence engineers defect to its rival.
Newstead's arrival in Cupertino signals Apple's intent to fortify its legal and regulatory defences with one of the industry's most battle-tested executives.
