Zuckerberg Hire Raises Rumors of a White House Run

Mark Zuckerberg has hired a top Democratic pollster, further fueling speculation that the Facebook CEO could be considering trading in a corner office for one of the oval variety, Politico reports. The Zuckerberg has repeatedly denied he is mulling a presidential bid, but bringing on consultant Joel Benenson—who has worked for former President Obama and was the chief strategist of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign—did little to quell the rumors. Benenson was brought on to do research for Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan’s nonprofit, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

But he's not the first bold-faced political name on the Zuckerberg payroll: In January, Zuckerberg hired David Plouffe, Obama's 2008 campaign manager, and former George W. Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman sits on the Facebook board. Zuckerberg has been zipping around the country as part of "A Year of Travel," a tour of all 50 states that some have likened to a campaign-style listening tour, the Hill notes. "Some of you have asked if this challenge means I'm running for public office," the 33-year-old posted previously on Facebook. "I'm not." (The most-loved CEOs aren't who you'd expect.)