In the latest olive branch from Mark Zuckerberg to newly elected President Donald Trump, Meta has decided to add Dana White to its board of directors.
White, the CEO of UFC, was one of Trump’s most prominent supporters during the campaign and was often pictured with him at various events, including UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.
The social media company founded and run by Zuckerberg also added Charlie Songhurst, an investor and former Microsoft executive, and John Elkann, CEO of Exor NV, a holding company that has interests in Ferrari NV and the Juventus Football Club, to its board.
With the three additions, the board has grown to 13 members, although Zuckerberg, as chairman, retains a majority of votes through the company’s dual-class share structure.
“Charlie, Dana and John will bring deep expertise and perspective that will help us address the enormous opportunities ahead in AI, wearables and the future of human connection,” Zuckerberg, 40, said in a statement declaration.
White, 55, is also a friend of Zuckerberg and even asked the billionaire for his advice last year on how to incorporate AI into the UFC’s ranking system. Throughout the 2000s, White transformed UFC into one of the most popular sports companies in the world.
Zuckerberg is a fan of mixed martial arts and occasionally participates in it himself. He was rumored to have a fight with Tesla CEO and another Trump supporter, Elon Musk.
White’s new input on one of the most powerful tech companies in the world comes as Zuckerberg just donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.
Mark Zuckerberg and Dana White are pictured together in an Instagram post from February 2024 at UFC 298.
Newly elected President Donald Trump, a close friend of Dana White, has long been critical of Meta
The donation wasn’t just a reversal of Zuckerberg and Trump’s previous relationships, it’s a complete change in policy.
Meta donated neither to Trump’s inaugural fund in 2017 nor to Joe Biden’s affair in 2021.
However, Zuckerberg has made numerous attempts to improve his relationship with the new president, including having dinner with him at Mar-a-Lago in November.
Last week, Meta also named Joel Kaplan, an executive with deep GOP connections, as policy chief.
Trump has long been critical of Meta for alleged instances of politically biased censorship against Republicans and conservatives.
Trump once supported a repeal of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which gives social media companies legal immunity for what their users post.
If it were repealed, it would open the door for anyone to sue social media companies like Meta over controversial content on their sites. Lawsuits may also target attempts to moderate such content.
After the January 6 insurrection four years ago, so was Trump suspended from Facebook for two years.
He was reinstated to the platform in 2023, months after Trump announced his third run for the White House, and was ultimately successful.
In July 2024, Meta completely removed all suspension fines from Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram, citing the public’s need to hear from the presidential nominees.