On January 3, the financial information agency reported (editor: Bian Chun) that USA Technology giant Meta announced on Thursday that well-known Republican Joel Kaplan will be promoted to the company's Chief Global Affairs Officer, succeeding Nick Clegg.

The high-level personnel changes in Meta's policy and communications team coincide with the upcoming inauguration of USA President-elect Donald Trump. The company is attempting to repair its relationship with Trump, who has criticized Meta's handling of political content and threatened to imprison its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

"As the New Year begins, I believe now is the appropriate time for me to resign from my position as President of Global Affairs at Meta," Clegg stated on Social Media on Thursday. "Clearly, Joel is the right person in the right position at the right time -- as social and political expectations of technology continue to evolve, he will be the ideal candidate to shape the company's Global Strategy."

Clegg also stated that he would transfer authority over the next few months, while Kevin Martin, another Meta executive with a Republican political background, will succeed Kaplan.

Kaplan currently serves as Meta's Vice President for Global Policy, reporting to Clegg. He previously held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House during former USA President George W. Bush's administration. In December last year, he accompanied Trump to the bell-ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange with Vice President-elect Vance.

Kaplan joined Meta in 2011. During his tenure at Meta, he has been accused of promoting a conservative agenda while claiming to advocate for political Neutrality, but the company has denied this accusation.

For example, a whistleblower from Facebook released documents in 2021 showing that some employees accused Kaplan of making exceptions to content rules to please Republican politicians.

Clegg previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the center-left Liberal Democrats. He joined Meta in 2018 and helped the company navigate a series of controversies related to its impact on elections and its efforts to control harmful content.

Since Trump's victory in the USA elections last November, companies from various industries have been scrambling to establish good relationships with him.

A spokesperson from Meta stated last month that the company donated 1 million dollars to Trump's inauguration Fund. At the end of November, Meta's CEO Zuckerberg dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

This seems to indicate that the tensions between Trump and Meta have eased. After the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, Meta banned Trump's Facebook account, angering the former president. Trump has also accused Meta of suppressing content detrimental to Biden during the 2020 election.

Editor/Jeffy