Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s vice president of global public policy, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg leave the Elysée presidential palace after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, France, on May 23, 2018.
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facebook parent Meta is hiring Joel Kaplan, the company’s current vice president for policy and a former Republican staffer, to replace Nick Clegg as president of international affairs.
The revamp comes three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and is the latest sign of how tech companies are positioning themselves for the new administration in Washington.
Mr Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister, announced he would step down in the new year, saying it was the right time to take the next step. He will be succeeded by Kaplan, who will assume the role of chief international affairs officer.
Mr. Kaplan, who served as White House deputy chief of staff under former President George W. Bush, appeared at the New York Stock Exchange in December with Mr. Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. He also attended Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing as a personal friend in 2018, a controversial move for the social media company.
“I look forward to taking over the reins over the coming months and representing the company at a number of international meetings in the first quarter of this year,” Clegg said in a memo to staff shared on Facebook on Thursday. “
Mr Clegg, who joined the company in 2018 after a career in British politics with the Liberal Democrats, was involved in a number of scandals at Meta, particularly around its influence over elections and its efforts to regulate harmful content. Helped me overcome surveillance.
Clegg also helped steer Facebook through the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which it shared user data with third-party political consultants. He also represented the company in Washington and London and frequently appeared on committees and Congressional hearings on artificial intelligence.
“My time at the company coincided with a major reset in the relationship between ‘big tech’ and the social pressures expressed in new laws, institutions and norms impacting the sector,” Clegg said. wrote.
Mr. Clegg said in the memo that Mr. Kaplan will be replaced by former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin as Meta’s vice president of global policy. He said Kaplan will work closely with David Ginsburg, the company’s vice president of global communications and public affairs.
“Nick: Thank you for everything you’ve done for Meta and the world over the last seven years,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “You have…build a strong team to drive this work forward. Given the depth of experience and insight Joel has had over the years leading our policy efforts, I look forward to taking on this role next.” I am.”
Semaphore first reported the news.
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