Facebook had a pollster measuring Mark Zuckerberg's approval ratings, but he quit after six months

Facebook

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on a stop during his 50-state tour in 2017.

• Facebook had a full-time pollster tracking CEO Mark Zuckerberg's public perception.
• The pollster quit after six months.
• It is unusual for a company to hire someone full time to track public perception of its executives.

Facebook hired a full-time pollster to track Mark Zuckerberg's approval ratings last year as the young CEO was making his 50-state tour across the country.

But the pollster, Tavis McGinn, quit the gig six months later after becoming disillusioned with Facebook, he told The Verge in an interview published on Tuesday. He said he joined the company because he thought he could change things from the inside, but later realized his efforts were futile.

"I worked there for six months and I realized that even on the inside, I was not going to be able to change the way that the company does business. I couldn't change the values. I couldn't change the culture. I was probably far too optimistic," he said in the interview.

Facebook was not immediately available for comment.

It's rare for companies to have a full-time staffer monitoring an executive's approval ratings. Facebook told The Verge it measures Zuckerberg's public perception because he often promotes company initiatives.

Read more about how Facebook polled its users on The Verge.