Meta Platforms has named Joel Kaplan as its new chief global affairs officer, replacing Nick Clegg, who is stepping down from his role at the US technology giant.

Clegg, who previously served as Britain's deputy prime minister and led the Liberal Democrats, announced his departure in social media posts on Thursday. "As a new year begins, I have come to the view that this is the right time for me to move on from my role as President, Global Affairs at Meta," he wrote.

In endorsing his successor, Clegg stated that "Joel 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."

Kaplan, who previously reported to Clegg, brings significant political experience to the role, having served as deputy chief of staff for policy during George W Bush's presidency before joining Meta in 2011. The company also announced that Kevin Martin, another executive with Republican credentials, will assume Kaplan's previous position managing global policy.

The transition occurs at a crucial moment for Meta's relationship with Trump. The company has recently made overtures to the incoming administration, including a $1 million donation to Trump's inaugural fund. This marks a significant shift following earlier tensions, particularly after Meta suspended Trump's accounts in 2021 following the Capitol riots.

During his tenure at Meta, Kaplan has faced scrutiny over his approach to content moderation. Internal documents revealed by a whistleblower in 2021 showed that some employees had accused him of making exceptions to content rules to appease Republican political figures, allegations which Meta has denied.

Kaplan described the leadership change as "bittersweet news" in a comment on Clegg's Facebook post. His appointment comes as technology companies across the sector work to establish positive relations with the incoming Trump administration, which has previously criticised Meta's content moderation policies and accused the platform of political bias.

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