Meta has appointed Dina Powell McCormick (left) and Patrick Collison to its board of directors, effective April 15, 2025.

Powell McCormick is vice chair and president at BDT & MSD Partners. She previously served as deputy national security advisor under President Trump and assistant Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.

She also spent 16 years at Goldman Sachs, where she became a partner.

Patrick Collison is the co-founder and CEO of Stripe, a payments platform valued at US$65 billion in a tender offer last year. Stripe has played a major role in advancing financial technology globally.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said both appointees bring valuable experience in supporting businesses and entrepreneurs.

🔗 Source: CNBC

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Meta’s board appointments reflect Silicon Valley’s evolving political calculus

Meta’s addition of a former Trump administration official continues a pattern of tech companies strategically repositioning their governance structures to align with shifting political powers.

These appointments come during a period when prominent Silicon Valley investors have become increasingly critical of Biden while expressing support for Republican candidates, with venture capitalist David Sacks explicitly stating he has “bigger disagreements with Biden than with Trump” 1.

This represents a significant shift for an industry whose employees have historically leaned heavily Democratic – a 2017 survey of over 600 tech entrepreneurs found 75.2% voted for Hillary Clinton and 61.3% identified as Democrats 2.

Meta’s political spending confirms this strategic repositioning. The company spent $24.4 million on lobbying in 2024 (a 27% increase from 2023), employing enough lobbyists to reach nearly half of Congress 3.

The timing is particularly notable as tech companies face increasing regulatory scrutiny. Meta’s moves suggest a calculated effort to build relationships with the incoming administration.

2️⃣ Board diversity now explicitly includes political representation at tech giants

Mark Zuckerberg’s defense of politically diverse board membership dates back to 2016, when he defended Peter Thiel’s support of Trump by stating: “We can’t create a culture that says it cares about diversity and then excludes almost half the country because they back a political candidate” 4.

This philosophy has evolved into an explicit governance strategy, with Meta’s recent appointment of Powell McCormick following January’s addition of UFC CEO Dana White, another Trump ally, establishing a pattern of Republican-affiliated board members.

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