Did you know Meta Replaces Nick Clegg With Joel Kaplan as Global Affairs Head Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration

 

There’s a lot of shuffling taking place at Facebook’s parent firm Meta which just chose to replace its head of global affairs.

Nick Clegg is out and Joel Kaplan is the new replacement and we’re not too surprised considering the latter is a former staffer for the Republicans. Previously, he was serving as the tech giant’s current policy VP.  

The news comes just three weeks before Donald Trump takes oath as President of the US. So as you can imagine, this might be the latest sign of how big tech firms are making their positions stronger with picks that will complement the upcoming administration in Washington.

Clegg will step down and he agrees that there’s no better time to move on than the year’s start. Meanwhile, Kaplan’s experience with American politics must be highlighted. He served as deputy chief of staff during George W. Bush’s presidency while also making appearances alongside VP JD Vance and the new President-elect at the NYSE in December last year.

Other than that, he served as a close friend to Brett Kavanaugh during the 2018 hearing which did cause a little controversy for Meta. Now, he’s sharing more insights on how much he looks forward to the new role. This includes leading the company at different international events taking place at the year’s start.

The memo regarding the change and his plans were shared with staff yesterday through Facebook, signaling a major shift in Meta. Remember, Clegg is no newbie for Meta. He’s been a part of the firm since the year 2018 and even served a role in British politics in the past. Similarly, he’s been known for assisting Meta during terrifying times of scrutiny including accusations hurled at the firm for impacting elections while trying to combat harmful material published through its platforms.

He’s also been a savoir during testing times like the controversial Cambridge Analytica Scandal where Facebook shared data belonging to users with various third-party consultants. Several congressional hearings related to AI had him representing the tech giant including those held in the country’s capital and London.

In his memo to staff, Clegg shared how Kevin Martin would now be the new VP for global policy.

Meanwhile, CEO Mark Zuckerberg honored Clegg for all of his hard work and efforts during the seven-year tenure. He spoke about how he built the best team that can carry tasks forward while also expressing joy for Joel stepping into the new role with great experience in the field.