Meta’s Zuckerberg names Dina Powell McCormick president and vice chairman

Mark Zuckerberg just handed one of the most consequential jobs in tech to someone who has never run a tech company. Dina Powell McCormick, a 16-year Goldman Sachs veteran and former Trump administration official, has been named Meta’s president and vice chairman, effective January 12, 2026.

Her mandate: oversee Meta’s $600 billion US infrastructure investment program through 2028, including $145 billion in AI-related capital expenditures projected for 2026 alone.

From board retreat to corner office

The appointment didn’t come out of nowhere, but it moved fast. Powell McCormick had only recently joined Meta’s board when Zuckerberg actively recruited her during a December 2025 board retreat at his Kauai compound.

In her new capacity, Powell McCormick co-leads the Meta Compute division alongside Santosh Janardhan and Daniel Gross. The unit handles Meta’s sprawling data center operations, energy initiatives, and the financial engineering required to fund infrastructure at that scale.

Why a Goldman banker for an AI war

Powell McCormick spent nearly two decades at Goldman Sachs, where she focused on sovereign clients and impact investing. She also held significant positions within US administrations, including serving as deputy national security adviser. Former President Trump publicly praised her appointment shortly after it was announced.

The $145 billion bet

Meta’s projected $145 billion in AI capital expenditures for 2026 positions the company in direct competition with the likes of Google and Microsoft, both of which have announced their own multi-billion-dollar AI infrastructure plans. OpenAI, too, has been raising capital at an unprecedented clip to fund its computing needs.

Powell McCormick’s role involves engaging in high-profile financial negotiations with Wall Street institutions and international investors, suggesting Meta may be exploring creative capital structures, potentially including joint ventures, project finance arrangements, or other mechanisms that spread the risk and cost of its infrastructure buildout across multiple parties.

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