Former Meta exec Nick Clegg offers careful criticism of ‘cloyingly conformist’ Silicon Valley

Nick Clegg, former policy chief at Meta, is navigating a delicate balance as he promotes his latest book, “How to Save the Internet.” Unlike many memoirs from ex-Meta employees, this one does not aim to expose or harshly criticize the company. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Clegg, who once led the U.K.’s Liberal Democrats, expressed a nuanced perspective on his time at Meta while subtly distancing himself from the tech giant. Clegg acknowledged the imperfections of social media but emphasized its unprecedented role in connecting billions of people worldwide. He stated, “I really do believe that, despite its imperfections, social media has allowed billions of people … to communicate with each other in a way that has never happened before.” He also made it clear that he wouldn’t have joined Meta if he believed the narratives of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg as villains were accurate. However, Clegg didn’t hold back from critiquing the culture of Silicon Valley. He described it as “cloyingly conformist,” remarking on how individuals seem to mirror each other in their fashion choices, vehicles, and even the media they consume. Additionally, he expressed his confusion over the tech industry’s troubling fixation on masculinity, stating, “I couldn’t, and still can’t, understand this deeply unattractive combination of machismo and self-pity.”