Sir Nick Clegg, the former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK and the current President of Global Affairs at Meta, announced his decision to step down after nearly seven years with the tech giant.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Clegg, who previously led the Liberal Democrats, confirmed he would be leaving the company and passing the baton to his deputy, Joel Kaplan. Kaplan, a former deputy chief of staff under President George W. Bush, is known for managing Meta’s relations with Republican figures.
Clegg shared plans to spend the next few months facilitating a smooth transition while representing Meta at international events before embarking on his next professional chapter.
This announcement comes just weeks ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Trump has long criticized Meta and other platforms for censoring conservative voices. Tensions between Trump and Meta escalated after Facebook and Instagram suspended his accounts for two years, following his comments related to the Capitol riot in January 2021. Trump has since threatened legal action against Mark Zuckerberg and accused Facebook of being “an enemy of the people.”
However, recent reports suggest that relations between Trump and Zuckerberg have improved, with the two dining together in Florida and Zuckerberg even offering a congratulatory message and a donation to Trump’s inauguration fund.
Clegg’s departure signals the shifting political landscape in Washington, with some analysts speculating that it may be linked to these broader political dynamics. He joined Facebook in 2018 after losing his parliamentary seat in 2017, and was appointed President of Global Affairs shortly thereafter.
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In his statement, Clegg expressed confidence in his successor, Kaplan, describing him as “the right person for the job at the right time.”
During his tenure at Meta, Clegg was a key figure in bridging the gap between the tech world, governments, and regulators, especially as increasing social media regulation became a focal point. One of his major contributions was overseeing the creation of Meta’s Oversight Board, designed to review and guide the company’s content moderation decisions.
However, Clegg admitted that Meta’s content moderation practices had sometimes led to “unfair penalties” for users.
In addition to his work at Meta, Clegg has been outspoken about Elon Musk’s influence, particularly following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X. Clegg has criticized Musk for turning the platform into a “one-man hyper-partisan hobby horse.”
Though he initially moved to Silicon Valley, Clegg returned to London in 2022. Reflecting on his time at Meta, he expressed immense pride and gratitude for his role in navigating the evolving relationship between the tech industry and society.
“I hope I have played a part in bridging the gap between technology and politics, two worlds that will continue to interact in complex and unpredictable ways,” Clegg remarked.
