Defection Watch: Google's Director of Social Media Decides It's More Social at Facebook
As for Beard, maybe he just doesn”t think that Google is going to figure out how to sell ads effectively on social networks (even if it is trying new approaches).
Update: Beard is joining Facebook as a director of Business Development, a role he once had at Google He tells me (via a message on Facebook):
Yes, I can confirm that I have resigned from Google and will be going to work for Facebook.
I think Facebook is great for a variety of reasons: the company has an innovative product with amazing growth, the team they have assembled is first rate, and the business is at a very exciting time in its development. I am excited to join Facebook at a time and in a role where I can have a significant impact on its core business and bottom line.
The pre-IPO stock options must be nice too.