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When Donald Trump won the US election, the writing was on the wall for Nick Clegg at Meta. Now, just a few weeks before Trump’s inauguration, Clegg has stepped down from his role as president of global affairs at the social media giant. He will be replaced by his deputy and Republican Joel Kaplan, as the firm shifts to the right to fit in with the new regime.
No one ever had much idea what Clegg did all day
Clegg has tried to put a positive spin on his departure, tweeting that: “As a new year begins, I have come to the view that this is the right time for me to move on” But it seems likely that the former British Liberal Democrats leader — and perhaps his boss, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg — may have decided that the smooth, centrist liberalism of Sir Nick Clegg is about as relevant as a three-week-old Instagram post in Trump’s America. Trump is no stranger to clashing with Meta; he has repeatedly accused the tech firm of censorship and silencing conservative speech. Last March, he called Facebook “an enemy of the people.”
Relations between Trump and Zuckerberg have thawed in recent months. But while it seems clear that Meta is trying to ingratiate itself with the new regime, it should beware of doing so too cynically. Trump is no fool, and he is unlikely to be persuaded easily that Meta has changed its spots. Zuckerberg could ultimately come to regret the abrupt departure of Clegg.
On a day-to-day basis, it is unlikely that Sir Nick will be missed at Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Apart from the occasional cringy video with Zuckerberg, no one ever had much idea what he did all day anyway. Whatever Clegg’s job did involve will now be carried out by Kaplan, a lobbyist with deep links to the Republican Party.
Zuckerberg, who has been for dinner with Trump at his Florida estate in Mar-a-Lago since the election, is steadily making sure Meta fits in with the new regime. It is not hard to see why. Meta could potentially face a break-up if the White House demands it. Even if that does not happen, there may well be tempting assets on sale very soon, such as TikTok. From a commercial perspective, it makes sense to cozy up to the all-powerful Trump regime.
Here’s the problem, however: it is far too transparent. Few ever really believed that Sir Nick, despite his multi-million dollar salary, and his grand titles, was ever much more than expensive window dressing at Meta. He didn’t ever have much influence as deputy prime minister to David Cameron, and he likely carried even less weight as Zuckerberg’s PR handler. He didn’t have any real power. In reality, no one will be fooled that his departure will change anything very much. If Trump thinks Meta is nakedly trying to cozy up to him, he’s sure to notice — and it could easily come back to haunt Zuckerberg.
