(Adnkronos) – Former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, has left the social media platform after seven years. He was replaced by Joel Kaplan, his deputy and former member of the Republican Party, former White House deputy chief of staff during the George W. Bush administration and close to US President-elect Donald Trump. The announcement was made by Clegg himself in a Facebook post, explaining that he would spend “a few months handing over the reins” and representing the social network at international meetings before moving on to “new adventures”. In a letter to colleagues, Clegg clarified that “with the start of a new year, the time is right for me to step down from my role”. Clegg assured that “no one could pick up the baton where I left off with more skill and integrity than my deputy, Joel Kaplan”.
The Financial Times writes that the reshuffle comes just weeks before Trump returns to the White House and his Republican party is poised to control both houses of Congress. ”Technology companies, including Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, are bracing for a sharp shift in leadership in Washington,” it reads. The Financial Times notes that major social media platforms have come under pressure from the president-elect and other Republicans, who have repeatedly accused them of censoring and silencing conservative debate. Trump has even threatened to arrest Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
Clegg joined Meta in 2018. The Financial Times recalls that ”he has been at the forefront of managing the political storms that have periodically rocked the company, helping it to navigate regulatory challenges in the US and EU”. This, it continues, has allowed Zuckerberg to focus on Meta’s multi-billion dollar efforts to become a world leader in artificial intelligence and develop new products. In mid-2022 Clegg moved to London and it had been known for some time, well-informed sources said, that he would be concluding his tenure at the company.
Kaplan, known for being a very effective lobbyist, is seen as a controversial figure within Meta. In the past he has intervened in policy decisions on behalf of right-wing political allies. Sources cited by the Financial Times explain that Kaplan wielded political influence over its decision-making and treatment of politicians, although Meta has denied this. In late 2018 Meta admitted that its management team had made “mistakes” after Kaplan attended the congressional questioning of his friend and then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The move caused a stir among some Meta employees over allegations that Kavanaugh committed sexual assault as a teenager.
