Former Meta Exec Nick Clegg Offers Careful Criticism Of ‘cloyingly Conformist’ Silicon Valley

In Brief

Meta’s former argumentation main Nick Clegg seems to beryllium stepping a tightrope arsenic he promotes his upcoming book, “How to Save nan Internet.”

Unlike definite different Meta worker memoirs, “How to Save nan Internet” doesn’t sound for illustration a tell-all aliases a scathing critique. And successful an question and reply pinch the Guardian, Clegg (who antecedently led nan U.K.’s Liberal Democrats) seems to region himself from Silicon Valley without rather disavowing his erstwhile employer.

“I really do judge that, contempt its imperfections, societal media has allowed billions of group … to pass pinch each different successful a measurement that has ne'er happened before,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t person worked for Meta “if I felt Mark Zuckerberg aliases Sheryl Sandberg were nan monsters different group opportunity they are.”

Still, he delivered memorable sound bites astir nan Valley, describing it arsenic a “cloyingly conformist” civilization wherever “everyone wears nan aforesaid clothes, drives nan aforesaid cars, listens to nan aforesaid podcasts, follows nan aforesaid fads.”

Clegg besides sounded beryllium mystified by nan industry’s growing obsession pinch masculinity, saying, “I couldn’t, and still can’t, understand this profoundly unattractive operation of machismo and self-pity.”

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