Mark Zuckerberg has hired Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist, fueling further rumors that he may be eyeing a future in politics.
The Facebook CEO hired pollster Joel Benenson's company to research for Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropy run by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.
Benenson has an impressive resume, running the Benenson Strategy Group and working with top Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama.
The hire adds more speculation that Zuckerberg is moving into the political world, as a recent poll showed he would tie with Trump if he ran in the 2020 election.
While Beneson's new role isn't fully described in detail, Politico reported he would be conducting research for the social media giant's non-profit organization.
The mission statement of the charity is 'advancing human potential and promoting equality', which could apply to politics and policy.
Zuckerberg and Chan hired David Plouffe, Obama's 2008 campaign manager, as the philanthropy's president of policy and advocacy in January.
They also tapped Amy Dudley, who worked with Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as his communications adviser, to be on the charity's board.
Rounding out the experienced political staffers is Ken Mehlman, who ran George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004.
Following Zuckerberg's much publicized cross-country tour of the US, a shock poll revealed he would be in a dead heat with Trump for the next election.
he data, released by North Carolina polling group Public Policy Polling, shows 40 percent of voters siding with Zuckerberg as a Democrat and 40 percent backing Trump.
One in five voters said they were unsure who to vote for in the hypothetical match-up.
The Facebook CEO, who is worth $68.4 billion dollars, attracted a lot of attention when he embarked on his 50-state tour of the US earlier this year.
His visits to fracking sites in North Dakota, drug addiction clinics in Ohio and cattle ranches in North Dakota fueled speculation that he was preparing for a career in politics.
However Zuckerberg has insisted that the trip was solely to broaden his perspective.
On May he posted on Facebook: 'Some of you have asked if this challenge means I'm running for public office. I'm not.
'I'm doing it to get a broader perspective to make sure we're best serving our community of almost 2 billion people.'
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