Nick Clegg leaves Meta before Trump’s presidency
- Nick Clegg announces Meta’s departure in a Facebook post
- The news comes weeks before the inauguration of newly elected President Trump
- Clegg will spend several months assisting with the handover to former Republican Joel Kaplan
Former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has confirmed he will leave his global affairs role at Meta after six years in office.
“As a new year begins, I have concluded that this is the right time for me to leave my role as President of Global Affairs at Meta,” Clegg wrote in a Facebook message to his colleagues. profile.
Clegg’s deputy Joel Kaplan has been confirmed as his successor, with Kevin Martin taking over Kaplan’s role as vice president for global policy.
The news comes weeks before Trump takes office, with the president-elect having been a hostile opponent of Meta in the past.
Trump previously threatened Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with jail time if he interfered in the election, even calling Meta an “enemy of the people,” despite ties to Elon Musk and his social networking platform X.
In the Facebook post announcing his departure, Clegg described Zuckerberg as “one of the most consequential innovators and business leaders of our time.”
Clegg also highlighted a shift in the relationship between big tech and “the societal pressures manifesting 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 – ideally placed to shape the company’s strategy as societal 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 noted: “You have made a significant impact in advancing Meta’s voice and values around the world.”