A key figure in Meta’s growth into a powerhouse in the social media and technology industry is leaving the company.
Meta told TechCrunch that Santosh Janardhan, the company’s longtime head of infrastructure and co-head of engineering, is stepping down. He will be replaced by Dave Brown, who joined the company earlier this year as vice president of infrastructure, the company added. Before joining Meta, Brown spent 19 years at Amazon, where he focused on computing, cloud and AI, his LinkedIn shows.
Janardhan is scheduled to leave next year, but it looks like he will remain in the meta for a while. “Mr. Santosh will remain in place for the transition and will move into an advisory role on Metacomputing,” a Meta representative said.
Mr. Janardhan joined the company in 2009 and helped the company grow into the huge internet presence it is today. Bloomberg initially reported Janardhan’s resignation, citing a recently circulated internal memo. The reason for Janardhan’s resignation from his position is unclear. The memo did not specify a reason for the resignation, and Mehta did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the issue. However, Janardhan’s memo appears to have mentioned the need to “pass the baton.”
The company has exploded in infrastructure investments in recent years to keep up with competitors in the AI race. Earlier this year, Janardhan was tasked with leading Meta Computing, the company’s effort to expand its data center investments and strategy.
