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The president of Meta’s Global Affairs group, Nick Clegg, is stepping down from the company, the executive announced tweet Thursday.
Clegg, Meta’s head of politics since 2018, has been replaced by one of the most popular Republican leaders, Joel Kaplan. Clegg written on X that Kaplan is “obviously the right person for the right job at the right time.” The top leadership change comes three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. This article was previously reported by Street lights.
“As the new year begins, I have decided that this is a good time to step down from my position as President, Global Affairs at Meta,” said Clegg. tweet. “My time at the company has coincided with a major restructuring of the relationship between ‘big tech’ and the societal challenges that are reflected in the new laws, institutions and traditions affecting the sector.”
Much of the tech world is trying to join Trump’s favor ahead of his second term. CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg donated $1 million to the president-elect’s fundraiser in December, and dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November. Other technology leaders, such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, he also reportedly dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago following his second win.
By choosing a Republican to lead Meta’s political group, the company could signal its willingness to work with conservatives in the incoming administration. Meta has previously faced criticism from Republicans who say the moderation of Meta’s content did not penetrate left-wing politics, and stifled right-wing voices. This included the company’s decision to banning Trump’s media accounts after January 6 attack.
Over the past year, Meta has tried to please Republicans. Trim removed all restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts before the 2024 election. In August, Zuckerberg posted a letter to House Republicans in which he apologized for being pressured by the Biden Administration to “investigate more about COVID-19.”
Meta did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
