An interview with Nick Clegg about Zuckerberg's “masculine energy”, Silicon Valley's “cloying conformity” and “combination of machismo and self-pity”, and more
When Britain's former deputy PM took a job at Meta, nothing could have prepared him for the ‘cloying conformity’ of the tech world.
Related Coverage
- Silicon Valley is full of wealthy men who think they're victims, says Nick Clegg The Guardian
- Former Meta executive Nick Clegg calls Silicon Valley ‘cloyingly conformist’ Business Insider · Nathan Rennolds
- ‘At Meta I found myself wrestling my deputy in an MMA gym’: Nick Clegg on the culture shock of Silicon Valley The Guardian · Nick Clegg
- Pre order now! https://www.theguardian.com/ ... @nickclegg · Nick Clegg
- Nick Clegg really nails the most disappointing and pathetic aspect of Silicon Valley. It's an industry full of the richest and most powerful people in history, who believe they're victims because their power is not absolute and others dare to question them. It hurts to be so rich yet not be treated like kings by us “peasants.” @carnage4life · Dare Obasanjo
- What I can't work out about Nick Clegg is why anyone would hire him as a “strategist”. David Cameron no genius (see Brexit referendum), and he played Clegg like a violin. And obviously, Clegg has no favours to call in. — https://www.theguardian.com/ ... @johnquiggin@aus.social · John Quiggin
- “if you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”. Nick Clegg on Silicon Valley tech bro culture — https://www.theguardian.com/ ... @dharmadan@aus.social · Dharma Dan
Discussion
-
@carolecadwalla
Carole Cadwalladr
on x
It's an abject reminder of how mainstream outlets are played by Silicon Valley, by the cosy rules of access journalism & the genre framing of the celeb interview. Clegg never submitted to a proper interview in his time at Facebook & now gets to spin & whitewash & conceal all
-
@sturdyalex
Alex Andreou
on x
The only way is to SMASH the system from the inside. Nick Clegg - hero, icon, martyr really - took one for the team, by infiltrating this sordid world and becoming an extremely rich, straight, white tech-bro, then <checks notes> no, that's it, he did nothing except defend them. […
-
@_andyburrows
Andy Burrows
on x
Nick Clegg's toughest day at Meta? Not when the leadership team were warned of a ‘palpable risk’ of a repeat of Molly's death (and went on to refuse additional child safety resource.) When they suspended Donald Trump after January 6th (h/t @gabyhinsliff) [image]
-
@andrewrsorkin
Andrew Ross Sorkin
on x
“If you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” - Nick Clegg I was almost stopped in my tracks by that line in a profile of him. What do you think? I'm very curious.
-
@carolecadwalla
Carole Cadwalladr
on x
I understand why this was commissioned. The need for a culturally relevant ‘name’. The fact that many people will ‘hate-read’ it. It will get traffic. But it also reinforces an impression that so many people have that the media is broken. Clicks & traffic & holding power to
-
@carolecadwalla
Carole Cadwalladr
on x
Nick Clegg made a reported £100m from Facebook. And now the reputation laundering begins. Congrats to him on this magnificent PR coup. Nicely played, Clegg. A glossy magazine profile AND extract in the paper that created the Facebook PR crisis that led to his hiring. 1/ [image]
-
@flynny123
Tom
on x
First good thing Nick Clegg has said in two decades [image]
-
@salisburyplain_
Marie
on x
Quite ambivalent to Nick Clegg, but he's explaining why he took the job at Meta, oh and he has a book to flog too. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
-
@wi_john
John Williams
on x
'If the people who ran Facebook were monsters, I wouldn't have worked there': but “Are reports that he earned £100m in salary and stock options over seven years in Silicon Valley true? “I'm sure they're wrong, but I haven't put the ... ” He wriggles” !!! https://www.theguardian.c…
-
@mattrosoff
Matt Rosoff
on x
“In Silicon Valley, far from thinking they're lucky, they think they're hard done by, they're victims. I couldn't, and still can't, understand this deeply unattractive combination of machismo and self-pity.” Amen, brother. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
-
@riptari
@riptari
on x
“Everyone wears the same clothes, drives the same cars, listens to the same podcasts, follows the same fads. It's a place born of immense sort of herd-like behaviour.” https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
-
@russincheshire
Russ Jones
on x
“If the people who ran Facebook were monsters, I wouldn't have worked there,” says man who worked with the Conservatives as their ideology killed 330,000 people. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
-
@alfonslopeztena
Alfons López Tena
on x
In Silicon Valley, far from thinking they're lucky, they think they're hard done by, they're victims, a deeply unattractive combination of machismo and self-pity. If you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression By @nickclegg https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
-
@drgeophysics
@drgeophysics
on bluesky
Techno bro fairy logic. However, in the real world, greed is not hard to understand: www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
-
@catanonim.me
@catanonim.me
on bluesky
Unless you were just plain greedy, or had become one yourself? — 'If the people who ran Facebook were monsters, I wouldn't have worked there': Nick Clegg ~ — https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ 2025/aug/23/facebook-nick-clegg-tech- bros-trump-leaving-silicon-valley
-
@mja66
@mja66
on bluesky
www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Poor Nick Clegg. It took years of his privileged life and millions in the bank for him to find out what wankers his tech bro billionaire chums are. — Still... imposing austerity with his Tory wanker chums is an achievement nobody can take …
-
@rossmcnally
Ross McNally
on bluesky
Yes you would Nick - you went into coalition with David Cameron and George Osborne. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
-
@jonathancohn
Jonathan Cohn
on bluesky
I love this headline because, yes, Nick Clegg is clearly a monster himself. www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
-
@stephenfarrow
Stephen Farrow
on bluesky
There are some good reasons why he's become a divisive figure, though I do think not all of the criticisms directed at him are entirely fair; I'm not necessarily inclined to take anything he says at face value, but this is an interesting read:
-
@emmalbriant
@emmalbriant
on bluesky
Jesus Christ, what utter drivel from a discredited sellout www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
-
@gj19eighty
@gj19eighty
on bluesky
Mate, you also worked with the Tories and enabled them to implement austerity. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
-
@faduda
Gerard Cunningham
on bluesky
Still deep in denial about what he did. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
-
@helenebismarck
Helene von Bismarck
on bluesky
This is worth reading, and it gets especially interesting in the second half. Say what you will about Nick Clegg, he says what most UK politicians avoid to admit: That being stuck somewhere in between the US and Europe may not be a sustainable position for 🇬🇧. www.theguardian.co…
-
@fascinatorfun
Fionna O'Leary
on bluesky
On the timing of Clegg's resignation just before the Presidential elections: " Clegg expected Trump to win, but hadn't foreseen “quite the alacrity with which the whole of Silicon Valley was going to move from what it was when I moved there..” — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 20…
-
r/LabourUK
r
on reddit
'If the people who ran Facebook were monsters, I wouldn't have worked there': Nick Clegg on tech bros, Trump and leaving Silicon Valley
-
r/BillBurr
r
on reddit
The nerds are taking their revenge out on the rest of us.
-
r/ukpolitics
r
on reddit
Silicon Valley is full of wealthy men who think they're victims, says Nick Clegg | Nick Clegg
-
r/technology
r
on reddit
Silicon Valley is full of wealthy men who think they're victims, says Nick Clegg
-
r/Foodforthought
r
on reddit
Silicon Valley is full of wealthy men who think they're victims, says Nick Clegg
-
r/siliconvalley
r
on reddit
Silicon Valley is full of wealthy men who think they're victims, says Nick Clegg