UFC CEO Dana White Joins Meta’s Board of Directors

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Dana White, CEO of mixed martial arts powerhouse UFC — and a good friend of Donald Trump — is joining Meta‘s board.

Meta announced White’s election to the board of directors Monday, alongside John Elkann, CEO of European investment firm Ekon, and Charlie Songhurst, former head of global corporate strategy at Microsoft. “I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board,” White said in a statement. “I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future.” He added: “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.” Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta, said in a statement about the new board members: “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.” White serves as president and CEO of Las Vegas-based UFC, the world’s leading MMA organization.

White is responsible for the overall strategic direction of UFC’s global business, which employs over 600 people across five continents.