Meta’s Quiet March into Washington: Zuckerberg Courts Trump as AI and VR Hunt for Military Gold

In a move that raises eyebrows across the tech and political world, Meta is making an aggressive push to secure lucrative federal contracts by embedding itself deeper into Washington’s power corridors—particularly those connected to national security and defense.

According to multiple sources and public job listings reviewed by Forbes, Meta is actively recruiting former national security officials and Pentagon veterans to facilitate deals and push its artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technologies into government use. This comes at a time when Meta, once wary of close military ties, now appears fully invested in becoming a key defense contractor, following in the footsteps of companies like Palantir and Lockheed Martin.

Hiring the Pentagon’s Own

Nearly half a dozen current job listings indicate that Meta is looking to ramp up its presence in national defense policy circles. The company is seeking public policy managers—one of whom is tasked specifically with engaging the White House and must preferably hold security clearance and past Pentagon experience. The role includes spearheading outreach to national security and foreign policy agencies within the executive branch to advocate for Meta’s technology.

In addition, Meta has quietly onboarded key hires from within government. In January, the company recruited Francis Brennan, a former Trump advisor, to lead strategic communications out of D.C. Another recent hire boasts over a decade of federal agency work and publicly stated on LinkedIn that their role at Meta would include “intelligence sharing” with the government.

Zuckerberg’s Pivot Toward Trump

These moves occur as CEO Mark Zuckerberg courts the Trump administration in a dramatic shift from earlier confrontations. Just a few years ago, Trump had publicly declared that Zuckerberg “should be in jail for life.” But the two appear to have patched things up: they reportedly met at Mar-a-Lago in November, and Zuckerberg later attended Trump’s inauguration. He has also purchased a $23 million home in Washington, D.C., signaling his deeper personal involvement in national affairs.

Zuckerberg’s gestures to Trump have extended to policy decisions. After donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration committee, Meta scrapped its third-party fact-checking program—a longtime target of conservative criticism. He also dismantled the company’s diversity division, elevated longtime Republican lobbyist Joel Kaplan to head of global affairs, and appointed Trump ally Dana White of the UFC to Meta’s board of directors.

The timing is strategic. Meta is currently facing a major federal antitrust lawsuit that threatens to break up the company. By building relationships with Trump’s orbit, Zuckerberg appears to be hedging bets for political protection.

Military AI and VR Ambitions

At the core of Meta’s outreach is its expanding AI and VR business. Reality Labs, the company’s virtual reality division, is looking for executives with over ten years of experience as federal contractors to lead new partnerships with the U.S. government. These hires would help market the Llama open-source AI model and other emerging technologies to federal agencies.

In November, Meta made Llama available for use by national security and military entities. The company says it has already partnered with major defense players such as Palantir, Scale AI, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Booz Allen is reportedly using Llama to digitize documentation aboard the International Space Station.

Meta has framed its strategy as a patriotic endeavor. “Both America and the broader democratic world benefit when U.S. open-source models outperform those from China and elsewhere,” the company said.

Joining the Military AI Race

Meta’s pivot is part of a broader shift in Silicon Valley. Major AI companies like OpenAI and Google, once reluctant to engage with the military, are now openly vying for defense contracts. The Pentagon, eager to harness AI for strategic advantage, has become a top client.

Google, which dropped out of the Pentagon’s controversial Project Maven in 2018 following employee backlash, has updated its user policies to allow military AI use. Meanwhile, OpenAI recently inked deals with the U.S. Air Force and defense firm Anduril, reversing its former ban on military applications.

Even Anthropic, another rising AI star, now allows U.S. military access through partnerships with Amazon and Palantir.

Experts say this marks a turning point for Silicon Valley’s moral stance. “Meta sees that the commercial profits from civilian AI use may not materialize as expected,” says Shana Marshall, a researcher at George Washington University. “If you’re looking for an endless stream of money, you go to the Pentagon.”

The Bigger Picture

Meta has not publicly disclosed any major defense contracts—yet. But its rapid alignment with military interests, combined with aggressive lobbying and recruitment, suggests a long-term strategy is already in motion.

At a time when U.S.-China tech competition is intensifying, and AI is seen as the next battleground, Meta is positioning itself as a “patriotic” tech firm ready to defend American interests—while conveniently defending its own empire from legal and market threats.

Zuckerberg himself recently stated on a podcast that working with Trump was “necessary.” “As an American company, we have to build effective relationships with whoever’s in charge of the government,” he said.

That may be true. But as Meta dives deeper into Washington’s war rooms and policy boardrooms, critics warn that the once-consumer-focused tech giant may be transforming into something entirely new—and far more powerful.