Meta Platforms said Monday it had elected three recent directors to its board, including Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and shut friend of President-elect Donald Trump.
The Facebook-parent also elected Charlie Songhurst, an investor and former Microsoft executive, in addition to John Elkann, CEO of Exor, a holding company controlled by Italy’s Agnelli family with interests in European businesses akin to Ferrari and Christian Louboutin.
“Dana, John and Charlie will add a depth of experience and perspective that may help us tackle the large opportunities ahead with AI, wearables and the long run of human connection,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.
Trump has had an extended relationship with White, who had spoken in support of his candidacy on the Republican National Convention in July, and previously on the 2016 and 2020 conventions.
Zuckerberg, likewise, has developed a relationship with White in recent times as a mixed martial arts enthusiast and recreational fighter.
In one in all their early public exchanges, Zuckerberg thanked White in an Instagram post in 2022 for inviting him to attend a UFC fight, while the UFC posted a photograph online of the 2 embracing in front of the “Octagon” cage where fights happen.
Elkann can be the manager chairman of Stellantis NV and Ferrari, and chair of the nonprofit Agnelli Foundation, which focuses on education.
Songhurst has been serving on a four-member AI advisory group Meta convened in May to supply guidance on “strategic opportunities” in relation to the corporate’s roadmap.
Zuckerberg has been positioning Meta for a possible second Trump presidency, expressing regret over previous content decisions that were unpopular with conservatives and praising Trump’s response to an assassination attempt.
Last week, the corporate elevated distinguished Republican policy executive Joel Kaplan to the position of worldwide affairs head.
Meta also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, in a departure from its past practice.
