Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.X executive Nick Pickles is leaving the social media platform formerly known as Twitter after a decade at the company in which he fought multiple political battles and engaged with regulators worldwide.He announced his departure as vice-president of global affairs on Thursday, following years of efforts to engage with authorities and policymakers.“After more than ten years, tomorrow will be my last day at X. It’s been an incredible journey . . . I leave with more memories and life-long friendships than I ever expected,” Pickles said in a post on the platform.Pickles remained at X during its $44bn takeover by Elon Musk in 2022, and he frequently had to defend the billionaire’s divisive positions to the media and governments around the world. His role was similar to that of Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta and former UK deputy prime minister.The Yorkshire-born former music photographer joined the company’s London office in 2014 as a senior public policy manager and was promoted to head of global government affairs in June. He was considered chief executive Linda Yaccarino’s right-hand man as she faced fierce pressure to improve the company’s finances and win back advertisers.Pickles, 40, said he had made the decision to leave X “several months ago” and was working with Yaccarino “through the transition”. He did not divulge his next move or name a successor and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.During his tenure, Pickles was the spokesperson for X in battles with multiple governments, including Brazil’s, which last week banned the platform. Musk had refused to comply with an order by Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes to suspend dozens of accounts on the platform for allegedly spreading disinformation.X has recently battled similar takedown requests in other parts of the world, including Turkey, India and Australia.“This is a dangerous precedent,” Pickles told the Financial Times in May. “It’s really dangerous for a global internet, press freedom and political debate everywhere.”Pickles added: “It’s vital that democratic governments don’t unwittingly endorse or adopt the policies of governments who do not want to protect the open, global internet.”Under Musk, Pickles also represented X while the EU investigated the company for seven months over what it ruled to be breaches of its Digital Services Act. Musk has threatened legal action in response to the European Commission’s preliminary findings.
