Nick Clegg, Britain’s former deputy prime minister, has introduced his departure from Meta after six years on the social media large.
Clegg, who joined in 2018 and rose to grow to be the corporate’s president of world affairs, confirmed his exit in a Fb submit, describing his tenure as an “adventure of a lifetime”.
He joined the then-Fb at a time of intense scrutiny, serving to to steer the tech behemoth via the Cambridge Analytica information scandal. Clegg went on to spearhead the creation of the impartial Oversight Board, an initiative geared toward boosting transparency in content material moderation and governance.
Joel Kaplan, Clegg’s deputy and Meta’s former vice-president of world public coverage, will succeed him. Kaplan beforehand served underneath President George W Bush as deputy chief of employees for coverage and is seen as one of the crucial distinguished conservative voices inside Meta’s higher ranks. He rose via the corporate amid criticism from Republicans who claimed Fb had a liberal bias, prompting strikes equivalent to partnering with the fact-checking division of the conservative Every day Caller information web site.
Clegg’s departure comes simply weeks earlier than Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration on 20 January. Meta and different social media platforms have navigated a posh relationship with the previous president, from banning his accounts to reinstating them and donating to his inauguration fund in 2017. Meta chief government Mark Zuckerberg praised Clegg’s impression in “advancing Meta’s voice and values around the world” and expressed confidence in Kaplan’s capability to information coverage via what are prone to be turbulent political waters.