Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Meta gets new board members ahead of Trump’s inauguration

The giant tech company Meta has announced the election of Dana White, John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst to the company’s board of directors.

• January 7, 2025
Zuckerberg meeting Trump
Zuckerberg and Trump [Credit: Facebook]

The giant tech company Meta has announced the election of Dana White, John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst to the company’s board of directors.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder and CEO, announced this in a statement on Monday.

“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,” Mr Zuckerberg noted.

Mr Zuckerberg’s announcement came shortly after the U.S. Congress certified Donald Trump’s victory in the November presidential election, officially clearing a part for his return to the White House later this month.

One of the new board members, Mr White, is said to be a notable inclusion in the company, especially given his strong support for Mr Trump.

Mr White’s inclusion on the Meta board could help tone down the tensions with Mr Trump, who had once threatened to jail Mr Zuckerberg over his company’s perceived political sentiments.

Mr Trump was enraged after Meta banned him from Facebook and Instagram in 2021 following the Capitol riots. 

Mr Trump, in a new book, accused Mr Zuckerberg of plotting against him during the 2020 election, noting the Meta chief executive would “spend the rest of his life in prison” if he did it again.

However, since Mr Trump’s re-election, Meta has moved to better align its operations with a second Trump administration.

While Mr Zuckerberg personally met with Mr Trump to address their differences, the company also restructured its public policy team to promote more Republican voices.

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