The Pros and Cons of Facebook Hiring Robert Gibbs

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Photo courtesy of AP

This weekend it was reported by the New York Times that former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs may take a job helping to manage the communications at Facebook. Here are the pros and cons associated with him joining this company as it prepares for an IPO.

Pros

1)      Gibbs had an enormously difficult job defending Obama when it came to health care and other areas and yet he did a good job deflecting criticism and is a master of answering the question he wants to answer – not necessarily the one which was asked.

2)      He further is able to use what some might call a boyish charm to get his point across.

3)      Facebook can expect to be hammered for many years about privacy, security and perhaps antitrust matters. Having a senior White House official on staff to manage the politics of it all can only help.

4)      Having a seasoned politician with a high profile adds to the gravitas of a company run by a relatively young CEO.

5)      Having closer ties between technology and the government could make the government more sensitive to important issues to tech firms such as increasing the number of H-1B visas.

Cons

1)      Gibbs is obviously associated closely with the left meaning independents and conservatives will have a less favorable view of the social networking company.

2)      Gibbs was the White House spokesman as the approval ratings of the President plummeted – does he deserve any credit for this fact?

3)      When he gets flustered, Gibbs has a tendency to stammer – still, a minor point as there is likely no tougher job that White House press secretary and defending Facebook will be a lot easier than having to defend a President who has such strong left-wing views and policies.

4)      The cozy relationship between large business and politics will continue – which encourages crony capitalism.

5)      There is a presidential election coming around the corner and we know how important social networking was when getting President Obama elected. Anyone see any issues with such a high ranking Obama team member having an important role at the world’s largest social networking company?

There you have it – the pros and cons are fairly even it seems and if you have any thoughts on the matter be sure to post them below.

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