BH Correspondent
San Francisco: It’s no secret that Facebook’s chairman Mark Zuckerberg has survived several attempts by shareholders to have him ousted. While the board has rejected that demand, external investors will now face an uphill task as the Facebook’s newest board member: Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston happens to be a close friend of Zuckerberg.
Houston comes after the departure of Dr Susan Desmond-Hellmann from the board in October 2019. Zuckerberg and Houston have been close friends for many years. Observers watching the developments wonder how Houston and Zuckerberg’s personal relationship impact his role in a job which has been so far considered to be ‘independent’.
Reacting to the appointment, Zuckerberg said on Monday: “Houston brings valuable perspective to our board as a leader of a technology company with services used by millions of people and businesses.”
Houston said: “It’s been inspiring to watch Facebook grow into a platform that reaches billions of people around the world. I’m looking forward to working with Mark and the rest of the Board on the many opportunities and challenges ahead.” It may be recalled that Drew Houston co-founded Dropbox with Arash Ferdowsi in 2007.
