Will Nick Clegg put a rocket under European tech now he's out of Meta?

Our former deputy PM has parted ways with Zuckerberg. Speaking to sources close to him, CHRIS BLACKHURST ponders what's next...

- CHRIS BLACKHURST

In the context of what he's suffered in the past, the current brickbats hurled at Sir Nick Clegg are relatively minor. Still, Clegg, who celebrated his 58th birthday this week, is entitled to feel sore. No, he was not booted out of his job as president of global affairs at Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner Meta. No, he has not made as much money as has been reported in some quarters. That's what the former deputy prime minister is telling his friends, anyway.

He'd been looking to leave Meta for some time but his departure and more particularly his replacement had to be approved by the board and that took a while. The fact that his successor is Joel Kaplan, a Republican, has fuelled the belief that the ex-Liberal Democrat leader was ditched because Mark Zuckerberg's £1.3 trillion tech behemoth is attempting to curry favour with incoming president Donald Trump. Kaplan was Clegg's deputy, and while they might hold differing political views, they are said to have got along well - indeed, Kaplan was Clegg's choice to take over.

His leaving happens to coincide too with a change of direction by Zuckerberg. The boss is ending fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, an aspect of the business that fell under Clegg's remit and was part of the corporate push to bring credibility to the platforms and pacify regulators and campaigners. It was an expensive operation, undoubtedly a drain on resources. Even so, the shift chimes with the ascendancy of Trump along with his "first buddy" and Zuckerberg's great tech rival, Elon Musk. Doing away with the fact monitors plays directly into their free speech agenda.

It's not as if Clegg is going straight away - he is remaining with Meta for a few months. He will fly back to California again from his London home this weekend.

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