- Nick Clegg announces Meta’s departure in a Facebook post
- The news comes weeks before President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
- Clegg will help for several months in the transfer of power to former Republican Joel Kaplan
Former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has confirmed he will leave his global affairs role at Meta after a six-year term.
“As a new year begins, I have come to the conclusion that this is the right time to step down from my role as President of Global Affairs at Meta,” Clegg wrote in a Facebook post on his profile.
Clegg’s deputy, Joel Kaplan, has been confirmed as his successor, and Kevin Martin will take over Kaplan’s role as vice president of Global Policy.
The news comes weeks before Trump takes office, as the president-elect was a hostile opponent of Meta in the past.
Trump previously threatened Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with prison if he interfered in the election, and even called Meta an “enemy of the people” despite having ties to Elon Musk and his social media platform, X.
In the Facebook post announcing his departure, Clegg described Zuckerberg as “one of the most important innovators and business leaders of our time.”
Clegg also highlighted a shift in the relationship between Big Tech and “social pressures manifested in new laws, institutions and norms” during his time at the company.
Prior to his role at Meta, Kaplan served as White House deputy chief of staff under President George W. Bush.
Clegg said: “Joel is clearly the right person for the right job at the right time – he is ideally placed to shape the company’s strategy as social and political expectations around technology continue to evolve.”
Clegg will continue to work with Meta for “a few months” to ensure a smooth transition.
Zuckerberg commented: “You have had a significant impact in promoting Meta’s voice and values around the world.”
