White House hires former Facebooker Josh Miller as its first digital product director

Days ago, Branch cofounder Josh Miller left Facebook with little explanation. Now we know what he’s doing next.

The young founder revealed on his personal blog today that he’s immediately starting a new role as the White House’s first director of product. There, Miller explained that he hopes to expand the White House’s existing digital “portfolio,” which so far includes its website and the “We the People” petition service.

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Now, I’m moving on to something new while also returning to an old problem that means a lot to me. Today, I start in a new role at the White House serving as their first Director of Product. I’m as giddy, wide-eyed, and determined as ever. The White House has many digital products — from WhiteHouse.gov to the We the People Petition site. It’s a dream to be able to add to and improve this portfolio.

In order to do that, my plan is to lean on the product ideals that I learned during the last four years building Branch and working at Facebook. Wouldn’t it be great if your government had a conversation with you instead of just talking at you? The Obama Administration has already responded to 255 online petitions that had collectively gathered more than 11 million signatures. Imagine if talking to the government was as easy as talking to your friends on social networks? White House officials have started to regularly host Q&As on Twitter. These initiatives represent amazing progress, and there’s so much more good work to be done. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in the technology industry to the ideals of our democracy. As a mentor of mine likes to say, “It’s gonna be great!”

https://twitter.com/joshm/status/638729470967455744