Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, made headlines on January 12, 2026, by appointing Dina Powell McCormick as its new president and vice chair. The move is seen as a pivotal moment for the tech giant, signaling a new era of leadership as it doubles down on artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and political alignment in Washington. Powell McCormick, a prominent banking executive and seasoned political figure, will report directly to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who praised her "experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world," calling her "uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth."
Powell McCormick is no stranger to high-stakes environments. Before this appointment, she spent 16 years in senior leadership roles at Goldman Sachs and most recently served as vice chair at BDT & MSD Partners, a powerful merchant bank. Her government credentials are equally impressive: she served as deputy national security adviser to President Donald Trump and as assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush. Her connections reach deep into both the financial and political worlds, a fact not lost on those watching Meta's evolving strategy.
Her appointment follows a brief stint on Meta’s board of directors from April to December 2025, after which she stepped down, only to return now in an even more influential role. According to Meta, Powell McCormick will join the management team, guiding overall strategy and execution. She will work closely with the compute and infrastructure teams to ensure that Meta's multi-billion-dollar investments deliver on their goals and drive positive economic impact in communities worldwide. As stated by the company, she will also spearhead efforts to build new strategic capital partnerships and expand Meta’s long-term investment capacity.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, offering his endorsement, told Axios, "I've known Dina for about 20 years and run into her all over the world. She's an exceptional banker with superb relationships. Clients have deep respect for her given her knowledge, experience, ability to execute and deliver, and the fact she works so hard." Dimon added that she is "a better banker and has more or better relationships than many big finance CEOs." Such high praise from Wall Street’s elite underscores the weight Powell McCormick brings to her new post.
Meta’s leadership shakeup comes amid a series of moves that appear to align the company more closely with former President Trump and his supporters. President Trump himself congratulated Powell McCormick minutes after the announcement, posting on Truth Social, "Congratulations to DINA POWELL MCCORMICK, WHO HAS JUST BEEN NAMED THE NEW PRESIDENT OF META. A great choice by Mark Z!!! She is a fantastic, and very talented, person, who served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction!" This public praise is noteworthy, especially given Zuckerberg’s previously rocky relationship with Trump. However, since Trump’s second inauguration, Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs have enjoyed a warmer reception at the White House, even attending several official events.
The company’s recent personnel decisions reflect this new political calculus. Powell McCormick is the second former Trump administration official Meta has hired in just weeks, following the appointment of Curtis Joseph Mahoney, a former deputy U.S. trade representative, as chief legal officer earlier in January. Meta has also elevated Joel Kaplan, a Republican, to chief global affairs officer and ended its diversity programs—moves widely interpreted as efforts to appeal to the Trump administration and its base. Additionally, Meta scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program, a decision that has drawn both criticism and support, depending on whom you ask.
Some critics, like Sacha Haworth of the Tech Oversight Project, have called for careful scrutiny of these ties. Haworth argued that Senator David McCormick, Powell McCormick’s husband and chair of the Senate subcommittee on energy policy, should "recuse himself from every vote or committee action that involves Meta's business." Senator McCormick’s spokesperson, Katy Montgomery, responded that he "will continue to comply with all U.S. Senate ethics rules." The intertwining of Meta’s ambitions in AI infrastructure and Senator McCormick’s influence over energy policy is already sparking debate in Washington corridors.
Powell McCormick’s role at Meta is being compared to that of former COO Sheryl Sandberg, who used her deep ties to the Democratic establishment to help Meta navigate regulatory and political scrutiny. Now, with Powell McCormick at the helm, the company hopes to leverage similar influence, albeit with a distinctly Republican tilt.
Her arrival coincides with Meta’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence and infrastructure. On the same day as her appointment, Zuckerberg unveiled the new Meta Compute initiative, a sweeping plan to build tens of gigawatts of data center capacity this decade and eventually hundreds of gigawatts. As Zuckerberg explained on Threads, "How we engineer, invest, and partner to build this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage." The effort is being led by Santosh Janardhan, who oversees Meta’s global datacenter fleet, and Daniel Gross, who will manage long-term capacity strategy. Both will work closely with Powell McCormick, who is expected to play a pivotal role in partnering with governments and sovereigns to finance and deploy this infrastructure worldwide.
Meta’s ambitions come at a time when the company is scrambling to keep up with AI rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Its recent Llama 4 model received a lukewarm reception, prompting Meta to commit up to $72 billion in capital spending for 2025 alone. The company’s pivot away from its legacy advertising business toward AI and infrastructure is unmistakable—and high-stakes.
Notably, Powell McCormick’s previous firm, BDT & MSD Partners, was rumored to be involved in a potential deal to sell TikTok, with a 5% stake still unnamed as of January 12, 2026. While the details remain under wraps, the connection highlights her centrality in the world of global tech dealmaking.
Amid all these changes, Meta finds itself at a crossroads—navigating the demands of a rapidly evolving tech landscape, the scrutiny of lawmakers, and the shifting sands of American politics. Powell McCormick’s appointment is more than just a personnel shift; it’s a statement about the company’s direction and ambitions. Whether she can help Meta realize its vision of AI-powered growth while managing the company’s complex political and regulatory challenges remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: with Powell McCormick in the president’s chair, Meta is betting big on a future that blends Wall Street savvy with Washington influence.
As the dust settles on this high-profile appointment, all eyes are on Meta and its new president. The company’s next chapter is just beginning, and with Powell McCormick at the helm, it promises to be anything but dull.