Meta's Dina Powell McCormick: The Case for Data Centers, Backlash, AI Job Boom & Meta's Future
September 18, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe Case for Data Centers: A Louisiana Story
Dina Powell McCormick, Meta's president and vice chairwoman, opened her appearance at the All-In Summit with a video from Richland Parish, Louisiana—a place she described as "where opportunity forgot about." The video showed local teachers, small business owners, and community leaders describing what happened after Meta built its largest data center there. A superintendent named Sheldon explained that sales tax collections from construction activity had surged so dramatically that certified teachers received a $50,000 bonus check in a single payment. The previous year, that check had been $10,000. "The game has changed," Sheldon recalled thinking after his first meeting with Meta.
The Community Compact
The conversation quickly turned to the widespread backlash against data centers across the United States. Jason Calacanis raised the standard list of concerns: increased electricity costs, water usage, noise pollution, and aesthetics. "These buildings are awfully ugly," he said. David Sacks pressed the point: "There are people who have had data centers put next to them that are polluting, that are creating noise, and there are valid water concerns, and there are communities where their electricity went up."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:07) **Introduction and the Data Center Community Compact** - Dina Powell McCormick, Meta's President and Vice Chairwoman, is introduced. The conversation begins with the challenge of communicating the economic and social benefits of data centers.
- 2 (08:08) **Addressing the Backlash Against Data Centers** - The hosts pivot to the widespread negative sentiment about data centers in America, asking how Meta handled community concerns in Louisiana.
- 3 (11:58) **Valid Concerns: Water, Energy, and Noise** - Jason asks Dina to address the specific, valid concerns communities have: water usage, electricity costs, noise, and aesthetics.
- 4 (14:40) **The Misinformation Campaign and National Security** - Chamath asks why the "misinformation" about data centers is winning in America.
- 5 (19:00) **The Workforce Gap: America's Workforce Academy** - The conversation shifts to the labor shortage in data center construction, introducing a second video on job training.
- 6 (23:28) **Industry Collaboration and Union Support** - Dina details how the workforce program is a collaborative industry effort.
- 7 (27:24) **The "Fastball": Meta's Settlement and Past Harm** - Jason delivers a pointed question about Meta's history, the massive settlement over harm to children, and the "move fast and break things" culture.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
(0:00) Dina Powell McCormick joins The Besties!
(1:52) Impact of Meta's data center in Richland Parish, LA: $50K teacher checks, revitalizing a small town community
(11:52) How Meta is alleviating data center concerns: pollution, electricity, water, noise, aesthetics; Misinformation campaigns
(19:57) America's Workforce Academy, the job growth in re-industrializing America
(26:58) Meta's recent social media settlement, new rules for teens
(35:25) Meta glasses and Zuck's AI strategy
Thanks to our partners for making this possible!
IREN is a vertically integrated AI Cloud platform, delivering data centers, compute and software for AI training and inference. https://iren.com/
Oracle connects the data, applications, and infrastructure that turn AI into business outcomes—with the flexibility, choice, and control to optimize as AI evolves. http://oracle.com/ai
EY helps tech innovators scale from startup to exit to megacap. You build the future. We'll handle the rest. http://www.ey.com
Meta believes the future is for everyone. We're focused on giving every person the tools to reach their full potential and making sure the benefits of technology are distributed to all. http://www.meta.com
Keel Infrastructure owns the power, land, and connectivity that HPC and AI run on - backed by secured energy assets and established grid interconnections across North America. https://keelinfra.com/
Airwallex - Agentic Global Business Accounts. Open local accounts in 70+ countries to accept payments, earn yield, pay globally, and manage spend. http://airwallex.com
PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit https://www.paypal.com
Google for Startups connects founders with the right people, products, and best practices to help startups build faster and go further. https://startup.google.com/
Explore ideas, industries, and technologies worth understanding with Chamath every week on Learn with Me: https://research.socialcapital.com/allin
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