Dana White, UFC CEO and Trump ally, to join Meta's board of directors
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
- Meta on Monday announced Dana White will join the company's board of directors.
- White said he'd "never been interested" in joining a company's board before Meta's offer.
- White is the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and an ally of Donald Trump's.
Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and an ally to President-elect Donald Trump, is set to join Meta's board of directors, the company announced on Monday.
"I've never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta's board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future," White said in a statement. "I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level."
White has been closely associated with Trump, and the pair have been regularly spotted together at events dating back to 2001, per the Associated Press.
Trump has appeared at numerous UFC matches over the years, while White has spoken at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Republican conventions, appearing onstage at Trump's victory party, the outlet reported.
The political leaning of Meta's board and top leaders appears to be in transition, as the departure of Nick Clegg — a former leader of the UK's Liberal Democrats party and Meta's ex-president of global affairs — was announced earlier this month. Joel Kaplan, who has been the company's vice president of global public policy since 2011 and has extensive connections with the Republican Party, will replace him, Business Insider previously reported.
The leadership changes are in stark contrast to years of conflict between the tech giant and president-elect.
In 2021 Trump was banned from Meta platforms for what the company called praising "people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6."
That year, Trump sued Facebook, Google, and Twitter, as well as their respective CEOs, accusing them of unlawfully censoring him. His Meta accounts were reinstated two years later, but Trump has repeatedly and publicly attacked the platforms and Zuckerberg in the years since.
Since winning his reelection campaign, Meta has pledged $1 million to Trump's presidential inauguration fund, which BI previously reported is a sign the company may be trying to smooth over its relations with the incoming president.
In addition to White, Meta announced its board will now also include John Elkann, the CEO of one of the largest European investment companies, Exor, and tech investor Charlie Songhurst.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive, said, "Dana, John, and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables, and the future of human connection."
Representatives for Meta, the UFC, and Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.