Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, has been appointed to the board of Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, ETR:FB2A, SWX:FB), the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
White, a longtime Trump ally who spoke at the Republican National Convention and appeared in Trump’s first TikTok video, joins Meta as it, along with most of Silicon Valley, seeks to build a relationship with the incoming administration.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised White as an entrepreneur, calling UFC "one of the most valuable, fastest-growing sports enterprises."
In a statement, White expressed enthusiasm for Meta's focus on artificial intelligence and social media, areas he views as integral to the future. The UFC president has previously discussed using AI to enhance fight rankings.
Meta also announced the appointment of John Elkann, CEO of Stellantis and Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) chair, and Charlie Songhurst, a former Microsoft executive. These additions expand Meta's board to 13 members.