Facebook parent company Meta recently announced the appointment of Joel Kaplan as president of global affairs, replacing Nick Clegg. Kaplan is now the firm's vice president for policy and a veteran Republican staffer. The changes, which come three weeks before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, are the latest sign of how U.S. technology companies are positioning themselves for the new administration in Washington.
Kaplan and Zuckerberg
Clegg, Meta's current president of global affairs and former British deputy prime minister, said he would resign and said the New Year was the best time to move on. Kaplan will succeed him as chief global affairs officer.
Kaplan served as the White House deputy chief of staff under former U.S. President George W. Bush. In December last year, he and Vice President-elect Vance accompanied Trump to attend the bell-ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. He also attended the 2018 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a personal friend, which sparked controversy over the social media company.
"I look forward to spending a few months transitioning the reins and representing the company at a number of international conferences during the first quarter of this year," Clegg wrote in the memo to employees, which he shared on Facebook on Thursday.