Meta Appoints Kaplan as Global Policy Chief in Strategic Shift

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Meta Platforms has appointed Republican figure Joel Kaplan as its new Chief Global Affairs Officer, succeeding Nick Clegg.

This shift in leadership comes as the company seeks to strengthen its relationship with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has been critical of Meta's approach to political content and even threatened legal action against its CEO. Kaplan, who previously reported to Clegg, has a background in Republican politics, having served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy under former President George W. Bush.

Kevin Martin, another longtime Meta executive with ties to Republican politics, will assume Kaplan's previous role overseeing global policy. Clegg announced his departure, stating that it was the right time for him to step down and that Kaplan was well-suited to guide Meta as societal and political expectations around technology evolve.

Kaplan's tenure at Meta has been controversial, with accusations that he favored a conservative agenda, despite the company's claims of political neutrality. Critics have pointed to internal documents from a Facebook whistleblower that suggested Kaplan made exceptions to content rules to accommodate Republican figures. Additionally, Kaplan's attendance at a Senate hearing regarding Brett Kavanaugh's sexual assault allegations stirred backlash among some employees.

As businesses work to improve ties with Trump following his 2024 election win, Meta has contributed $1 million to his inaugural fund, signaling a shift in its political strategy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also expressed regret over past decisions that angered conservatives, including the suspension of Trump's account in 2021 after the Capitol riots. Trump has criticized Meta for censoring content that could harm Biden during the 2020 election and for Zuckerberg's donations to support election infrastructure.

Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.