Former UK deputy PM Nick Clegg to step down as president of global affairs at Facebook parent company Meta
Former UK deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg is to depart his role as president of global affairs at social media and tech giant Meta, to be replaced by prominent republican Joel Kaplan.
Nick Clegg
Clegg announced his departure on Facebook, just one of many digital platforms owned by California-based Meta, alongside Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
He said: “As a new year begins, I have come to the view that this is the right time for me to move on from my role as president, global affairs at Meta.
“It truly has been an adventure of a lifetime! I am proud of the work I have been able to do leading and supporting teams across the company to ensure innovation can go hand in hand with increased transparency and accountability, and with new forms of governance.”
A former leader of the Liberal Democrat political party in the UK, he joined Meta in 2018 as VP of global affairs and communications.
His arrival coincided with Meta facing intense criticism over the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal and Facebook’s role in the 2016 US presidential election.
After being promoted to president of global affairs in 2022, Clegg helped launch Meta’s oversight board, which advises co-founder Steve Zuckerberg on matters relating to content moderation and privacy.
Clegg will hand over the reins to his current deputy Kaplan in “a few months” before moving on to “new adventures.”
Responding to Clegg’s decision, Zuckerberg said: “You’ve made an important impact advancing Meta’s voice and values around the world, as well as our vision for AI and the metaverse.
“I’m excited for Joel to step into this role next given his deep experience and insight leading our policy work for many years.”
Kaplan joined Facebook in 2011, previously serving as the deputy chief of staff for policy under former US president George W Bush. Clegg endorsed his eventual successor, describing Kaplan as “quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time.”
Media analysts and political observers in the US believe it’s not a coincidence that Clegg has decided to step down just weeks before the January 20 inauguration of new president-elect Donald Trump.
Kaplan is known for handling Meta’s relations with the Republican party and is seen by many as a more ‘Trump friendly’ appointment. Meta is keen to curry favour with the incoming commander in chief and was among the tech giants who donated US$1m to Trump’s inauguration fund. Zuckerberg has also dined with the former The Apprentice star at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.
Prior to that, Trump had taken an adversarial stance against Meta after Facebook and Instagram suspended his social media accounts for two years in 2021.
More recently, Trump threatened to imprison Zuckerberg if Meta interfered in last year’s US election and even called Facebook an “enemy of the people” last March.
In other Trump-related news, the president-elect has appointed The Apprentice producer Mark Burnett as his special envoy to the UK.
London-born TV executive Burnett is a former chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He has created and produced hit reality series such as Shark Tank, Survivor and The Voice, winning 13 Emmy awards.
Trump said: “Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges.”
Burnett said: “I am truly honoured to serve The United States of America and President Trump as his Special Envoy to the United Kingdom.”
