WTF - Zuck Adds Scandal-Ridden Dana White to Meta Board (This Should Be Interesting)

WTF… Meta Platforms just added Dana White—yes, the UFC guy—to its board of directors. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO and amateur MMA enthusiast, made the announcement Monday, alongside the addition of two other board members, John Elkann (CEO of Exor and Ferrari’s big boss) and Charlie Songhurst (tech investor and former Microsoft exec). But let’s be honest, Dana White is the headliner here.

(Source: Giphy) 

In short, Zuckerberg didn’t exactly hide his fanboy vibes in the announcement. He called White a “visionary entrepreneur” who built the UFC into “one of the most valuable, fastest growing, and most popular sports enterprises in the world.” Translation: “This guy knows how to sell a fight, and I need that energy at Meta.”

(Source: Hollywood Reporter) 

Now what’s interesting is that the two aren’t just casual acquaintances, either. Zuckerberg’s been spotted sitting cage-side at UFC events and even training in MMA himself—because apparently running Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp isn’t enough cardio. Remember when Zuck and Elon Musk teased a cage fight that never happened? White was going to produce it. (Spoiler: Musk backed out, and Zuckerberg moved on to tearing his ACL in real sparring sessions. Priorities.)

White, for his part, seems equally pumped about the pairing. “I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board,” he said in a statement. But however wild it may seem, Zuck says White and the other new board members will help Meta tackle “massive opportunities” in AI, wearables, and “the future of human connection.” (Read: trying to make the Metaverse relevant again.) Meta’s been pouring cash into these areas, doubling down on virtual reality headsets and AI-powered everything. And if you squint hard enough, adding the UFC’s top dog to the board starts to make sense.

(Source: Giphy) 

Simply put, White knows how to build a brand, plain and simple. He turned the UFC from a niche fight club into a global sports juggernaut, complete with billion-dollar pay-per-views and more sponsorship deals than a Formula 1 car. Zuckerberg’s probably hoping White can sprinkle some of that magic onto Meta’s struggling projects, like the Metaverse, which currently feels about as popular as crypto in 2023.

Plus, let’s not sleep on the timing here. White’s addition comes just weeks before Donald Trump’s second term kicks off, and White is famously tight with the former president. Whether that’s a factor or just a coincidence is up for debate, but it definitely adds an extra layer of intrigue. For this reason (and others), not everyone’s thrilled about White’s new gig. While his business acumen is undeniable, his personal controversies have been headline fodder for years. Most recently, a video surfaced of White slapping his wife during a New Year’s Eve party in 2023—a moment he later apologized for but which hasn’t exactly faded from public memory.

(Source: CNBC) 

Meta, for its part, doesn’t seem fazed. The company has bigger fish to fry, like figuring out how to make AI profitable and convincing people that VR headsets are the future of social interaction. Meaning adding a polarizing figure like White to the board is a bold move, but hey, if anyone knows how to weather a PR storm, it’s the guy who’s been running the UFC for over two decades.

In the end, Dana White joining Meta’s board is equal parts surprising and strategic. On one hand, it’s a head-scratcher—what does a UFC exec know about AI and wearables? On the other hand, White’s knack for building brands and navigating controversies might be exactly what Meta needs as it enters a new phase of growth (and reinvention). 

(Source: Giphy)

Of course, only time will tell if this is a masterstroke of strategic initiative here—but one thing’s for sure: Zuckerberg’s board meetings just got a lot more interesting. In the meantime, if you’re a Meta holder, get yo popcorn ready and as always, stay safe and stay frosty, friends! Until next time… 

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Stocks.News holds positions in Meta Platforms and Microsoft as mentioned in the article.