Meta Appoints Dina Powell McCormick to Drive AI and Growth
- tech360.tv
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Meta has named Dina Powell McCormick as its company president and vice chairperson. She previously served an eight-month tenure on Meta’s board of directors, stepping down in Dec.
Meta stated that during her board service, Powell McCormick was “deeply engaged as we’ve accelerated our pursuit of frontier AI and personal superintelligence.” Powell McCormick possesses over 25 years of experience spanning global finance, national security, and economic development. She advised President Trump for a year starting in 2017.
Her career included various roles at Goldman Sachs and BDT & MSD Partners. Powell McCormick does not have formal AI or tech experience, training, or education. Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg commented on her appointment.
Zuckerberg stated, “Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, makes her uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth as the company’s President and Vice Chairman.”
Ahmed Banafa, Ph.D., a technology expert and engineering professor at San Jose State University, supports the hire. He views the appointment as being less about AI algorithms and more about infrastructure, capital, and geopolitics, which he considers essential for AI’s global expansion.
Banafa wrote that Meta is "betting that the future of AI will depend as much on political navigation and massive investment coordination as it does on model architecture.” He added that building AI now means constructing physical infrastructure on an enormous scale.
This includes data centres, compute clusters, and energy access, which must be built quickly. He explained such an endeavour "requires someone who knows how to move billions, cut deals globally, and navigate the regulatory friction in Washington and beyond.”
Julia McCoy, founder of hybrid AI tech consultancy First Movers, echoed this sentiment. McCoy believes Powell McCormick's background in global finance, sovereign relationships, and government diplomacy will help Meta navigate massive capital partnerships and regulatory landscapes.
This is crucial for building "hundreds of gigawatts of AI infrastructure." McCoy clarified, “While she may not have a traditional tech background, the reality is that scaling AI at Meta’s ambition level requires someone who can sit across the table from world leaders, sovereign wealth funds and energy partners to close deals.”
Banafa anticipates Powell McCormick will play a pivotal role in advancing Meta’s AI ambitions into its next growth phase. He concluded that Meta "didn’t hire a scientist — they hired a dealmaker. And in today’s AI landscape, that might be exactly what they need.”
The appointment also highlights a woman joining a senior leadership post. Women currently comprise less than 29% of the AI workforce and hold less than 14% of senior executive AI roles.
Meta has appointed Dina Powell McCormick as its company president and vice chairperson.
Powell McCormick has extensive experience in global finance, national security, and economic development, having previously served on Meta’s board.
Experts suggest her role will focus on navigating the financial, political, and infrastructural demands of scaling Meta's AI operations, rather than direct technical development.
Source: FORBES