Dana White, president of the UFC, has joined the Meta board along with John Elkann, CEO of Exor and chairman of beleaguered auto conglomerate Stellantis and tech investor Charlie Songhurst.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, 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.”
“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,” said White, a long-term friend of president-elect, Donald Trump.
“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.”
Zuckerberg is something of a martial arts fan, having previously trained in Jiu Jitsu and then MMA. Infamously, Zuck offered Tesla boss and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk a fight in the octagon he’d constructed in his back garden. They couldn’t agree on a date.
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In fact, such is Zuckerberg’s lustre for fighting, a financial filing Meta issued in 2023 included the following statement:
“We currently depend on the continued services and performance of our key personnel, including Mark Zuckerberg. Mr. Zuckerberg and certain other members of management participate in various high-risk activities, such as combat sports, extreme sports, and recreational aviation, which carry the risk of serious injury and death. If Mr. Zuckerberg were to become unavailable for any reason, there could be a material adverse impact on our operations. The loss of other key personnel, including members of management as well as key engineering, product development, marketing, and sales personnel, could also disrupt our operations and have an adverse effect on our business.”
Elkann, meanwhile, said that he was “honoured” to join the board.
“I am honoured to be able to contribute to the future of one of the most significant companies of the 21st century,” said Elkann.
“I look forward to bringing my global experience and long-term perspective to the board as Meta continues to shape and push the next frontiers of innovation and technology.”
“As part of Meta’s advisory group, I’ve seen first-hand the opportunities to scale new products and grow AI and enterprise capabilities, and I’m honoured to be asked to join the board to further this work,” said Songhurst.
John Elkann is CEO of Exor, one of the largest European investment companies, controlled by the Agnelli family. He is also executive chair of Ferrari.
Songhurst is a technology investor who currently invests in more than 500 startups globally. He has extensive experience across enterprise SaaS, AI and deep tech. He previously served as GM and head of global corporate strategy at Microsoft, focused on partnerships and M&A. As part of this role, he led the Yahoo and Skype acquisitions.
