Nick Clegg, the previous British deputy prime minister turned Meta govt, is leaving after a seven-year stint with the social media firm. Clegg introduced his departure in posts on X and Threads, saying that “that is the correct time for me to maneuver on from my position as President, World Affairs at Meta.”
Clegg might be changed by Joel Kaplan, a longtime coverage govt and former White Home aide to George W. Bush recognized for his deep ties to Republican circles in Washington. As Chief World Affairs Officer, Kaplan — as Semafor notes —might be well-positioned to run interference for Meta as Donald Trump takes management of the White Home.
Clegg joined Meta in 2018, a yr after the British public deemed the previous chief of the Liberal Democrats unelectable. The corporate then often called Fb was trying to enhance its political relationships after Cambridge Analytica and different scandals. In 2022, he was promoted to President of World Affairs, a place that reported on to Mark Zuckerberg (his earlier position was overseen by Meta’s then-COO Sheryl Sandberg).
The previous politician performed a key position in a few of Meta’s most important and controversial selections. He publicly defended the corporate’s determination to not apply its truth checking insurance policies to politicians and authored its public statements in regards to the suspension and reinstatement of Donald Trump’s Fb account. Extra just lately, Clegg has criticized the European Union’s dealing with of tech regulation, arguing that the bloc is hampering developments in AI.
“My time on the firm coincided with a big resetting of the connection between ‘massive tech’ and the societal pressures manifested in new legal guidelines, establishments and norms affecting the sector,” Clegg wrote in a put up on Threads. “I hope I’ve performed some position in in search of to bridge the very completely different worlds of tech and politics – worlds that can proceed to work together in unpredictable methods throughout the globe.”
Clegg mentioned in a Fb put up that he’ll spend the subsequent “few months” working with Kaplan and “representing the corporate at plenty of worldwide gatherings in Q1 of this yr” earlier than he formally steps away from the corporate. He didn’t point out what he could do subsequent.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/nick-clegg-is-leaving-meta-after-7-years-overseeing-its-policy-decisions-204207077.html?src=rss
