Facebook parents Meta Global affairs president Nick Clegg is being replaced by Joel Kaplan, the company’s current policy vice president and former Republican Party staffer.

The shakeup 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.

Former British Deputy Prime Minister Clegg said he was stepping down, citing the New Year as the right time to move on. He will be replaced by Kaplan, who will assume the role of Chief Global Affairs Officer.

Kaplan was on staff under former President George W. Bush, and he appeared on the NYSE. with JD Vance as Vice President-elect And Trump in December. He attended Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavanagh’s confirmation hearing in 2018 as a personal friend, creating controversy for the social media company.

“I look forward to spending the next few months handing over the reins – and representing the company at a number of international gatherings in the first quarter of this year,” Clegg wrote in a memo to his staff. He shared on Facebook. on Thursday.

Clegg joined the company in 2018 after a career in British politics with the Liberal Democrats, and has helped Meta’s incredible scrutiny, particularly of the company’s influence on elections and its control of harmful content. On his efforts to Clegg also helped steer the company through the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which Facebook shared user data with third-party political consultants. He also represented the company in Washington and London, often on artificial intelligence panels and Congressional hearings.

Clegg wrote, “My time at the company coincided with a significant resetting of the relationship between ‘big tech’ and the social pressures reflected in the new laws, institutions and norms affecting the sector.

In his note, Clegg said former Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin would replace Kaplan as Meta’s vice president of global policy. He noted that Kaplan will work closely with David Ginsburg, the company’s vice president of global communications and public affairs.

“Nick: I’m grateful for all you’ve done for Meta and the world over the past seven years,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “You have built a strong team to carry this work forward. I am excited for Joel to step into this role given his deep experience and insight that has led our policy work for many years. is.”

Semaphore reported first. the news

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