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On Monday, Mark Zuckerberg announced via a Facebook post that Meta had welcomed Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, along with two additional executives to its board.
The inclusion of Mr. White, a long-term associate of President-elect Donald J. Trump, marks a significant enhancement of the social media firm’s leadership, aligning with a series of efforts to solidify connections with the upcoming administration. Last week, the organization restructured its policy team, appointing a seasoned executive known for his Republican associations to lead global policy. Additionally, Meta has contributed $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inauguration fund.
In recent times, Mr. White and Mr. Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, have developed a strong friendship based on their enthusiasm for professional fighting, which includes mixed martial arts, a discipline that Mr. Zuckerberg began practicing in 2022.
“Dana serves as the President and CEO of UFC, and he has transformed it into one of the most valuable, rapidly growing, and widely recognized sports enterprises globally,” Mr. Zuckerberg stated in his post. “I have great respect for him as a businessman and his capability to develop such a cherished brand.”
In 2023, Mr. White made efforts to arrange a cage match between Mr. Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, the billionaire proprietor of X, Tesla, and SpaceX. Mr. Musk, who has emerged as a close supporter of Mr. Trump, ultimately withdrew from the competition, citing a previous injury. He asserted that Mr. Zuckerberg was at fault for not being available for a later bout.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, established three new board positions for these appointments, bringing the total to 13. Mr. Zuckerberg also mentioned that John Elkann, the CEO of Exor, a Europe-based holding firm overseeing Jeep and Ferrari, and Charlie Songhurst, a technology investor who previously worked at Microsoft and has recently advised Meta on artificial intelligence initiatives, have been added.
“We have vast opportunities ahead in A.I., wearable devices, and the future of social media, and our board will guide us in realizing our vision,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote.
In recent years, Meta has started producing wearable technology, such as gaming headsets and sunglasses outfitted with cameras. The company is also engaged in a worldwide A.I. competition, having launched its proprietary generative system with “open-source” code that allows for unrestricted duplication, modification, and reuse.
Meta has confronted severe Republican criticism concerning its content moderation practices on social media platforms, which Mr. Trump and others argue amount to the suppression of conservative perspectives. Some individuals appointed by the president-elect to oversee technology and various industries have vowed to impose stricter regulations as a response.
In recent weeks, Mr. Zuckerberg engaged in discussions with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where the tech executive congratulated the president-elect on his electoral victory.
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