Thunder House

“Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An’ if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know!”

– The Clash

Although The Clash was signing about something a little different, do you think  the inner monologue of Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs may be a bit similar at the moment?  There is a lot of buzz about Gibbs being pursued by Facebook to be their next head of communications.  Clearly Gibbs is well suited for the role but methinks if Facebook really is after him, it is about much more than communications and more likely his deft skills at navigating the sea of  lobbyist and policy makers in Washington D.C.

One simple reason why I could see Facebook wanting Gibbs is their road ahead may be fraught with lots of government regulation issues around online privacy, data collection, etc. An in-house expert, like Gibbs, would be a significant advantage in dealing with potential government issues that may be ahead in the US as well as the EU.  And then there is the equity upside for Gibbs at the hottest pre-IPO company in the valley.

Then again Gibbs could also go and work for Obama on the “Election Campaign – Part Deux”  But shhh…it’s all still a secret with Gibbs for now

And since you all know I really like to grok about Online Privacy, here is a great primer from the friendly folks at the IAB