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Facebook CTO leaving company to pursue start-up venture

Facebook CTO leaving company to pursue start-up venture

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Facebook's chief technology officer Bret Taylor has announced he is leaving the company to pursue outside ventures.

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Hot on the heels of Facebook's IPO, it looks like the company will be losing its chief technology officer, Bret Taylor. All Things D is reporting that Taylor is planning to depart Facebook later this summer, and will be joining an unnamed start-up instead. "I had always been upfront with Mark that I eventually wanted to do another start-up," Taylor told the publication, "and we felt it was the best time after the IPO and the launch of some recent things for me to do that." Taylor has been leading the company's mobile and platform efforts, and was heavily involved in both the Facebook Connect initiative and its recent Open Graph efforts (Taylor previously worked at Google where he helped create Google Maps).

Reportedly stepping up to fill Taylor's shoes will be Facebook's Mike Vernal, who will be leading platform-centric efforts, while the company's Cory Ondrejka will be handling mobile duties. The news breaks just days after Apple announced it would be integrating Facebook into the forthcoming iOS 6, and while rumors swirl of a Facebook smartphone — one that could potentially include a "platform exclusive to Facebook." With Taylor's departure apparently discussed well in advance, it seems unlikely that the change will affect any of the company's short term plans in either arena, but with Taylor having been involved in so many key initiatives, it's safe to say his presence will be missed.