Changes in Meta: Mark Zuckerberg appoints Dana White, president of the UFC and friend of Donald Trump, to his board of directors

The social media giant Meta announced on Monday the appointment of three new members of its board of directors, including the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Dana White, a close ally of the president-elect of USADonald Trump.

The announcement comes as Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been reaching out to the incoming Trump administration, including through a $1 million donation to the Republican’s inauguration fund.

Along with White, Meta brought in Exor CEO John Elkann and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst, bringing the company’s board members to 13.

“Dana, John and Charlie will bring a wealth of experience and perspective that will help us address the enormous opportunities ahead with artificial intelligence, wearable technology and the future of human connection,” Zuckerberg said in a statement.

The 40-year-old tech mogul dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in November, and last week named Republican Joel Kaplan as Meta’s public relations director.

Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg in recent years, whom he accuses of being biased against conservatives.

The Republican leader was expelled from Facebook after his supporters attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, although the company restored his profile in early 2023.

White has been friends with Trump for two decades, when the former president offered his properties for UFC mixed martial arts events.

“I was never interested in joining a board of directors until I received the offer to join Meta’s. “I’m a big believer that social media and artificial intelligence are the future,” White said of the appointment.