Nick Clegg, the previous British deputy prime minister turned Meta government, 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 appropriate time for me to maneuver on from my function as President, World Affairs at Meta.”
Clegg shall be changed by Joel Kaplan, a longtime coverage government 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 —shall 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 known as Fb was seeking 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 function was overseen by Meta’s then-COO Sheryl Sandberg).
The previous politician performed a key function in a few of Meta’s most important and controversial choices. He publicly defended the corporate’s choice to not apply its truth checking insurance policies to politicians and authored its public statements concerning 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 major resetting of the connection between ‘large 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 function in searching for to bridge the very totally 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 following “few months” working with Kaplan and “representing the corporate at various 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