Trump-friendly Joel Kaplan replaces Nick Clegg as Meta's policy chief
What's the story
Meta has announced a major overhaul in its policy team, just ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. The company's global policy head, Nick Clegg, is resigning after a seven-year stint. He will be replaced by Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and Meta's current vice president of policy. Clegg said he believes it's the "right time" for him to leave Meta and plans to spend the next few months "handing over the reins" to Kaplan.
Information
Succession plan: Clegg endorses Kaplan as his successor
In a recent Facebook post, Clegg endorsed Kaplan as his successor, saying he is "quite 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."
Profile
Kaplan's political background and tenure at Meta
Kaplan has a solid political background, having served as the White House deputy chief of staff under 43rd US President George W. Bush. Kaplan joined Meta in 2011 and has spent over a decade with the company. Kaplan's defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during a Senate hearing over sexual assault allegations in 2018 had stirred controversy and reportedly angered some employees.
CEO stance
Zuckerberg's interactions with Trump and Clegg's contributions
Despite having had his differences with Trump, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been trying to win over the President-elect in recent months. This included a $1 million donation from Meta to his inauguration and a personal meeting at Mar-a-Lago in November. Clegg, who joined Meta in 2018 after serving as UK's deputy prime minister, was instrumental in shaping Meta's policies after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which experienced a surge in COVID-related misinformation and suspension of Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Policy shift
Clegg's policy reversal and Zuckerberg's response
In December, Clegg had reversed Meta's earlier stance by saying that the company had been moderating too much. Reacting to Clegg's departure announcement, Zuckerberg said he was excited for Kaplan to take on this new role. He also noted Clegg's significant contributions in advancing Meta's voice and values globally, and shaping their vision for AI and the metaverse. Kevin Martin, former Republican chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will assume the position of VP of global policy, succeeding Kaplan.